Attah Igala's Death: Jonathan, Atiku Mourn With Kogi People
ABUJA, July 17, (THEWILL) - President Goodluck Jonathan has joined eminent Nigerians to commiserate with the government and people of Kogi State on Monday afternoon’s death of Dr. Aliyu Ocheja Obaje, the Attah of Igala and chairman of the state’s Council of Traditional Chiefs.
In a statement signed by Dr. Reuben Abati, his special adviser on media and publicity, President Jonathan extended condolences to the late Attah of Igala’s family and the people of Igala Kingdom.
“As they mourn the late Dr. Obaje, President Jonathan urges his family, the people of Igala Kingdom and Kogi State to give thanks to God Almighty for blessing the revered traditional ruler with uncommon longevity as well as a lengthy and successful reign,” stated Abati’s release.
“The president believes that Dr. Obaje’s long and eventful stewardship of the traditional affairs of the Igala people, and his contributions to the social and political development of Kogi State and Nigeria for which he received the National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic, have ensured that in passing on, he leaves behind notable and worthy legacies for his successors to build upon.”
Jonathan prayed that God would reward Obaje’s exemplary life and laudable contributions to the development of his community and the entire nation with peaceful eternal rest.
Similarly, former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar commiserated with the Ikala Kingdom, describing the late monarch as a leader extraordinaire one of whose enduring legacies was the commitment to education, modernity peace and unity.
In a condolence message issued by his media office in Abuja, Atiku recalled that the late Attah worked tirelessly to attune his people with modernity, being one of the northern leaders with early exposure to Western education.
“The late Attah Igala was known to have held his kingdom together and it is on record that there was no major crisis during his long reign, which spanned over a period of 56 years,” Atiku said in a press statement issued in Abuja by his campaign office.
“The late Attah of Igala lived a dignified life, which earned him respect and admiration across the country. He never mortgaged the interest of his people for private gain, a virtue that made him tower above the ordinary standards of integrity in our society.”
He equally extolled Attah’s outstanding contributions to social harmony and peaceful coexistence among his people and other Nigerians, saying his contributions to national unity, modernity and the spread of education would forever be remembered.