Buhari pays tribute as more condolences pour in for late Aku Uka of Wukari

President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of the paramount traditional ruler, the Aku Uka of Wukari and Chairman, Taraba State Council of Chiefs, Dr Shekarau Angyu Masa-Ibi, as a great loss not only to Taraba State but also to Nigeria as a whole.

The President’s tribute on the demise of the Taraba monarch was contained in a statement issued Monday by his media aide, Garba Shehu.

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President Buhari said; “the passing of Shekarau Angyu at this time when the country needed his immense wisdom and knowledge in its efforts to overcome its challenges, is a great loss for which I cannot find the right words to describe.”

He said the late paramount ruler was a simple man who avoided publicity and controversy throughout his life of service to his people and the country.

According to him; “though death is inevitable, we cannot forget the immense contributions of the late Aku Uka to the promotion of peace, harmony, unity, tolerance and peaceful coexistence in his community and the country at large.”

Also, the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, on Monday, described the late Aku Uka of Wukari, Dr Shekarau Angyu Masa-Ibi as a father who opened his door to all at all times.

In a condolence message made available to our correspondent and signed by the Senator himself, Bwacha said the death of the monarch and Chairman Taraba State Council of Chiefs, sends shock waves around the state and the country.

“While the entire world mourns the demise of a great father and a leader, no other people will feel the impact of his hunting experience to Puje directly like the good people of Southern Taraba Senatorial District of which I represent at the National Assembly,” he said.

In his condolence message, Chief David Sabo Kente, a member of the North East Development Commission, has described the death of the Aku Uka as a monumental loss to humanity generally.

In a statement issued on Monday, Kente said that the news of the death of the traditional ruler and leader of the ancient Kwararafa kingdom came at a time that his fatherly counsel is needed even more.

“The late leader of the ancient Kwararafa kingdom was an encyclopedia. His wealth of knowledge and depth of wisdom was unparalleled.

“We would miss his fatherly counsel, his sound advice, his words of inspiration and galvanizing spirit that was a uniting factor for people of different background, faith and ethnicity,” Kente said.

A former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya, in his condolence, said that the nation will dearly miss the commanding voice and presence of the late monarch at a time it is most needed.