Prince Tonye Princewill Commiserates with Dr. Barkindo Aliyu Mustafa
Following the sad demise of Dr. Aliyu Mustafa, the Lamido of Adamawa state, the Action Congress leader Prince Tonye Princewill, who was on three days visit (from the 18th to 20th march, 2010) to the state, has condoled the royal family represented by the new Lamido and son of the late Lamido, Dr. Barkindo Aliyu Mustafa, the Turaki of Adamawa, in the person of Alh. Atiku Abubakar, the emirate council and the entire people of Adamawa state.
Fortunately the three days visit of the Prince coincided with the turban ceremony of the new Lamido of Adamawa State, Dr. Barkindo Aliyu Mustafa an occasion that was graced by dignitaries such as, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Mr. Bala Ngillaro his Deputy, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, former Governor of the defunct Gongola State, Alh Bamanga Tukur; former Governor of Katsina State; Alh Lawan Kaita; NDLEA Boss, Alh. Ahmed Giade; political chieftains like Hassan Adamu, Murtala Aminu, Koiranga Jada, Mahmud Wazari, Gambo Jimeta, Adamu Waziri and a host others.
Speaking privately with the new Lamido, Prince Tonye, introduced to the Lamido by Alh. Atiku, expressed the commiseration of the party faithful in Rivers State as the leader of AC and on behalf of the Kalabari Kingdom as the Prince, and prayed that Allah should grant the late Lamido Dr. Aliyu Mustafa eternal rest, whilst granting members of the family, well wishers and the people of Adamawa the fortitude to bear the loss. He advised the new Lamido to borrow a leaf from the late Lamido who lived a peaceful life, religiously tolerant and a patriotic Nigerian whose love for the South-South could not be overstressed.
Reponding, Dr. Barkindo Mustafa thanked the Prince for making out time to visit and pledged that the Prince's visit will strengthen further the friendship between the North and the Southern part of the country. The new Lamido stated,“With prayer and God's support and blessing, I will do my best to live up to the peaceful virtues of my father, the late Lamido”.
According to a press statement by the Rivers State AC spokesman, Chief Eze C said, Prince Tonye visited the Turaki Adamawa, Alh. Atiku Abubakar in his Yola residence, where he formally delivered the condolence message from the Rivers State Chapter of the AC. He said he knew the demise was especially hard on the Turaki because of the camaraderie that existed between him and the late Lamido, a relationship that over time by its very nature earned him the office of Turakin Adamawa- which literary translation is “being in charge of the House Hold matters”-, a title which hitherto had been the preserve of the closest son of a reigning Lamido. He prayed that God will strengthen Alh Atiku to bear the irreparable loss.
“Alh. Atiku Abubakar in his response thanked the Prince for his kind gesture. He said that the death was especially devastating because it had left a big vacuum in his heart. He recalled that he had considered the Late Lamido as his adoptive father following the early demise of his own birth father, whom he never knew. He recalled how the late Lamido stood by him during his trying times. He however said that he is consoled that in his place his brother and school mate, “Dr Barkindo Musdafa had become the new Lamido and I am happy for it. Tonye, you are a lucky man, you are today participating in a historical event – the demise of the longest serving Monarch in Nigeria having reigned as the Lamido of Adamawa for 57 years the longest in the history of the Emirate and you are also witnessing the turbanning of a new Lamido Adamawa in the person of Dr. Barkindo Musdafa and I am convinced that all these happenings for you means a lot for the future of Nigeria”.
On the final day of his visit, the Prince embarked on a guided tour of some of the Industries in Yola that included the Faro Company, producers of Faro Water and soft drinks, the American University in Yola, Gotel Radio House. At the end of the tour, he applauded Atiku's entrepreneurial prowess, stating that “If other elites can establish such industries that touches the lives of ordinary man, Nigeria will be transformed. Nigeria needs transformational leaders who understand this message. Politics is too important to be left in the hands of career politicians”.
Nwaorgu Faustinus.C, Socio-political commentator writes from Igboetche, Port Harcourt Rivers State.