Ado Bayero: I've Lost A Father Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he has lost a father in Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero who passed on today at the age of 83.

In a personal tribute to Ado Bayero, the former Vice President said that his relationship with the late Emir of Kano was of a father and his favourite son spanning over three decades.

A visibly pained Atiku said that he knew that death was coming (like it would for every mortal), but not in agony and humiliation because he (Ado Bayero) did not deserve it.

He said that Ado Bayero was not only loyal to his people in his immediate domain, but to Nigeria and humanity at large.

According to Atiku, Ado Bayero was a pious, humble, upright and honest man whose integrity was unparalleled.

He noted that the death of Ado Bayero has robbed the nation of a noble crusader of unity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

He recalled that promoting unity and tolerance was one of Ado Bayero's greatest and unforgettable legacies.

According to him, Nigeria has lost a crusader for peace, stability and unity at a time his services were still badly needed by the country.

Atiku said Ado Bayero, who celebrated his 50th Anniversary on the throne in June last year, was a rare leader of enviable and vast wisdom.

He recalled the significant contributions of Ado Bayero to sustaining the unity of Nigeria during the January 15, 1966 political crisis, a role that earned him the respect of the late Dim Chukuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu.

Atiku said the respect Ojukwu had for Ado Bayero, a quintessential bridge-builder, was a significant message about the role Bayero played to hold back Nigeria from the brink of disaster.

Apart from Ado Bayero's commitment to unity, Atiku Abubakar praised the late monarch's amazing ability to rule over a vast, complex, heterogeneous, and cosmopolitan state like Kano without losing his sanity, a quality he said was rare among average leaders.

The former Vice President extolled the late Ado Bayero's integrity and his remarkable character, adding that the late Emir had always associated himself with the progress and development of his people.

The former Vice President condoled with the family, the people and the government of Kano State over the death of Emir Ado Bayero.