A former executive secretary of the defunct Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) in the Second Republic, Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi, has been buried.
He died at the Katsina Federal Teaching Hospital on Wednesday at the age of 93 and was buried in a family cemetery located within the district head palace in Kurfi, Kurfi Local Government Area, Katsina State.
The funeral prayer of the nonagenarian was held on Thursday at Kurfi town and was attended by the Katsina State governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, and his chief of staff, Jabiru Tsauri, among other government officials.
Also in attendance was the Emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, and other district heads, including Yandakan Katsina, district head of Dutsinma and Kauran Katsina among other title holders.
The late Maradi was born in 1931 and until his death held the ‘Maradin Katsina’ traditional title in the Katsina Emirate.
He was a senior civil servant at the federal level for many years. He was the deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence when the 1966 coup took place.
He was also a permanent secretary in the Office of the Head of Service.
Late Ahmadu Kurfi was the first executive secretary of electoral umpire FEDECO, which organised the election and brought in Alhaji Shehu Shagari as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1979.
He was survived by three children, including Alhaji Mansur Amadu Kurfi, Ciroman Kurfi and heir apparent of the throne as well as his sister Hajiya Hussaina Ahmadu and brother Gambo Ahmadu Kurfi.
In his condolence message, Katsina State governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, described the late Maradin Katsina as a quintessential Nigerian public servant who dedicated his life to national service and democratic development.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, Governor Radda noted that Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi’s contributions to Nigeria’s public service were extraordinary and spanned several critical periods in the nation’s political history.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari said Alhaji Kurfi gave his all to the country in search of unity.
Garba Shehu, the spokesman to former President Buhari in a statement said the death of Kurfi deprives Nigeria of one its wisest and capable citizens who gave everything they could to the nation in its quest for unity and development, and a man, who he said, had given purpose to elections.
As a senior civil servant at the federal level, Kurfi held pivotal positions that were instrumental during significant national transitions, including serving as deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence during the tumultuous period of the 1966 coup and later as permanent secretary in the Office of the Head of Service.
Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi started his studies at Central Elementary School, Katsina in 1941, he then joined the Katsina Middle School from 1944 to 1947. He continued his studies at Barewa College, Zaria, from 1947 to 1950. In 1953, he got a Teacher Grade I Certificate before going to the United Kingdom (UK).
At the University of Hull, UK, he completed his degree in economics in 1958, which became the building block of his professional career.
Alhaji Kurfi started his career as a teacher in 1951. After returning from the UK in 1958, he worked as an Assistant District Officer in Kaduna under the government of the then Northern Region. He then moved to the Federal Ministry of Defence, where he rose to the position of Assistant Permanent Secretary.
From 1966, he held senior positions, including the Secretary of the Northern Nigerian Marketing Board, the Secretary of the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO), and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defence. He retired in 1986.
In 1992, Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi became the first head of Kurfi, a position he held until his death. During his reign, there was a lot of progress in Kurfi, including in the area of education, health and other infrastructural developments. His leadership brought prosperity and unity among his people.
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