By Chris Ochayi – Abuja
The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, on Wednesday, lamented that Nigeria would have been a wonderful country if it has produced more leaders like the late former Governor of old Kaduna, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who died Wednesday morning.
National Secretary, CUPP, High Chief Peter Ameh, while paying a glowing tribute to Alhaji Musa, said the former National Chairman of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, had sacrificed everything, stood like an activist in trying to defend the posture and the sense of dignity of the common man.
Describing his passage as a great loss, very sad and painful, High Chief Ameh said Balarabe Musa was in fact the poster boy of democracy from 1999 until his death.
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According to the opposition parties, “Dusk has befallen on our great nation at dawn. Alhaji Balarabe Musa was an elder statesman and the first civilian governor of Kaduna state.
“He was a Marxists and an activist till his death. A man of vigour and humility, always transparent and diligent in his dealings. A man of repute and reputable service to the people.
“He was at the forefront of the development and democracy of our beloved nation. His life is worthy of emulation and he is a symbol of good governance and leadership.
“A perfect candidate for a posthumous award and recognition by the nation. His death is indeed a great loss for the people of Kaduna state and Nigerians. Farewell Alhaji Balarabe Musa.
“The death of H.E. Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa has come as very as a rude shock to all Nigerians. We pray that our good Lord will grant him eternal rest.
“Alhaji Baarabe Musa a man who was well-acknowledged for the developmental strides he made as to the governor of old Kaduna State in the second republic especially in the area of human development. He was of champion of the emancipation of the downtrodden.
“In the present dispensation that started in 1999, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and another leading light of the opposition movement Chief Gani Fawehinmi were instrumental to the multi-party democracy that we practice presently.
“They fought up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria to make certain that the political space was liberalized and expanded to accommodate all shades of opinion in the Nigerian polity. In fact, Balarabe Musa was the poster boy of democracy from 1999 until his death.
“In an irony of fate, his party PRP was deregistered by Professor Attahiru Jega the then INEC Chairman, and in his dogged nature, he fought all the way again to restore the party.
“Prof. Jega is now a staunch member of PRP, and PRP has now become the cornerstone party in the North as we march towards 2023.
“The life of Alhaji Musa should be emulated by all politicians and non-politicians alike. He lived his life for the masses, and all his struggles in life were for the betterment of the country.
“We pray that the Almighty Allah grant him eternal rest, and the family and the entire opposition movement the fortitude to bear the loss.
“He was a leading light and the remains that he is one politician and elder statesman that truly deserve to call an elder statesman, he stood against the mismanagement of public funds, his life was in humility and service to course of the Nigeria people.
“He serves the people diligently without course for enrichment, and if you have not meant him and sees you him, you will know that this is the kind of leader Nigeria should have had. If we have the kind of leadership like Balarabe Musa,
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“Nigeria would have been a wonderful place to behold because he had sacrificed everything, stood like an activist in trying to defend the posture and the sense of dignity of the common man.
“So it is important that he must be honoured by Kaduna State Government, honoured by the Federal Government so that we see it as a symbol of what Nigerian Politicians should be, and as a symbol of what leadership should be.
“His reputation is cast in stone for being a good, cautious, and humane leader. So his death today is something flag shouldn’t be flying on any flagpole over Nigeria for his contributions to the development of democracy, to his contribution to purity, to his contribution to puberty, so we must celebrate him.
“This is a great loss and it is indeed very sad and painful and H.E. Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa the former Governor of Kaduna state was a man of very good character, a man of the talakawas’, he is a lover of the poor, he lived among them and with the kind of name he made for himself and live the very best life all through till this day that he died.”
