Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, paid glowing tribute to the late Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, describing him as one of the admirable apostles of inter-ethnic understanding and cohesion.
Obasanjo said the highly revered monarch, who died on Sunday at 84, equally played vital roles in inter-religious accommodation and tolerance and inter-cultural co-operation.
In a condolence letter to Alhaji Ibraheem Bashar Ameenu, for and on behalf of the family of the late Emir of Zazzau, Obasanjo eulogised the late ruler as one of the most respected and respectable rulers, whose death was received with deep shock.
Obasanjo recalled how he, as president, severally called on him to mediate on the Plateau issue of farmers and herdsmen.
The letter, a copy of which was made available to newsmen through Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Monday quoted him as saying: “His style of leadership which was characterised by fairness to all, objectivity, moderation and a burning commitment to the development of his emirate and the nation at large,
Also, Niger State Governor and Chairman North Central Governors Forum, Abubakar Sani Bello, expressed shock and sadness over the death of the Emir of Zazzau and Chairman Kaduna State Council of Traditional Rulers, Dr. Shehu Idris (CFR).