By Ayomide Otitoju
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has died at the age of 90.
Tukur, a former governor of the old Gongola State and Minister of Industries, died on Saturday, according to a statement issued by his former media aide, Oliver Okpala, with the consent of his children, Awwal and Lami Tukur.
The family said his remains would be taken to Yola, Adamawa State, for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Funeral prayers are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 13, at the Lamido’s Palace in Yola, after which he will be buried.
Reacting to his death, Awwal Tukur said the family accepted it as the will of Allah and would take solace in his life and legacy.
President Bola Tinubu described Tukur’s death as the end of a remarkable chapter in Nigeria’s political and economic history.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described Tukur as a towering figure whose career spanned public administration, governance, business, politics and pan-African economic leadership.
“Alhaji Tukur was urbane, generous and deeply rooted in the values of integrity and service that the Adamawa Emirate and the nation hold dear,” Tinubu said.
He extended condolences to Tukur’s family, the Fombina Emirate, the Adamawa State Government and the political and business communities in Nigeria and across Africa.
Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri also mourned Tukur, describing his death as a “monumental loss” to the state and Nigeria.
Fintiri declared three days of mourning across the state and directed that government flags be flown at half-mast in honour of the former governor.
The PDP described Tukur’s death as a “profound loss” to Nigeria, recalling his decades of service in public administration, business and politics.
Tukur served as governor of the old Gongola State from October to December 1983 before the military coup that ended the Second Republic. He later served as Minister of Industries and Chief Executive/General Manager of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
He became National Chairman of the PDP in 2012 and resigned in January 2014 amid political tensions within the party.
Tukur first rose to national prominence as General Manager of the NPA from 1975 to 1982. He later founded BHI Holdings, also known as the DADDO Group of Companies, and became active in Nigeria’s business community.
He served as Minister of Industries under the military administration of General Sani Abacha from 1993 to 1995.
At the continental level, Tukur served as Executive President of the African Business Roundtable and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group, where he advocated African economic development and private-sector growth.
He also held the traditional title of Tafidan Adamawa and was a recipient of the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
Tukur is survived by his children and grandchildren, including Awwal Tukur, the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government.
