The body of former minister of State for Education, Professor Jerry Anthony Agada, who died on Tuesday has been taken to his Orokam home town in Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State for burial.
Agada died about 8:00am on Tuesday at the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi from a brief illness after he took ill a fortnight ago and was hospitalised for over one week.
Reliable sources close to the family confided in our correspondent as at 5:25pm that the body of the deceased author was on its way for interment at his hometown accompanied by his wife and children while other wailing relatives converged at his house on No. 12 Bem hotels road, Ankpa Quarters in Makurdi awaiting their (wife and children) return from burial.
There hadn’t been any official statement from the family indicating the nature of illness which took the life of the 68-year-old ex-Principal of Government College, Makurdi at the time of this report.
Our correspondent however learnt that his children would issue a press release on their return from the burial of their father who until his death was Chairman of Benue State Civil Service Commission.
Agada was also a former National President of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).
Shock and sadness
Meanwhile, the Benue State Government has expressed shock and sadness over the sudden death of the foremost educational and literary giant.
State Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu, accompanied by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Anthony Ijohor (SAN), and the deputy Chief of Staff, Abel Adah Ikwom visited the Makurdi residence of the former education minister, where they expressed the condolences of Governor Samuel Ortom (out of the state), the government and people of the state to the late Agada family.
Abounu described the death of Prof. Agada as a collosal loss to the state and the entire country, adding that the late educationist was an institution.
He called on the family to bear the loss with equanimity, saying that God knows why He chose to call him home at the time He did. He prayed that the Lord grant his soul eternal rest.
Receiving the Benue State delegation on behalf of the family, Aboyi Agada thanked the Government for identifying with them at their moment of grief. He said the family is devastated but said there’s nothing any person could do as it was the act of God.
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