Buhari mourns Maduekwe, Tobi, Amadi

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the families, governments and people of Abia, Delta and Rivers States on the deaths of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Ojo Maduekwe, retired Supreme Court judge Justice Nikki Tobi and literary icon Elechi Amadi.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement yesterday that Buhari received the death of Maduekwe, who also served as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, with profound sadness.

The president said in all his years of service to Nigeria as a diplomat, minister, politician and ambassador, Maduekwe was an ardent believer in the unity of Nigeria and gave all to that pursuit.

He said as Foreign Affairs Minister, Maduekwe’s relentless call for citizen diplomacy and Nigerians to be treated with dignity across the globe would continue to inspire other patriotic people to promote a positive international image of the country.

The president also paid tribute to Justice Nikki Tobi, describing him as a brave jurist who served Nigeria creditably and brought his many years of training, knowledge and wisdom to the Bench.

Buhari joined the literary and academic community in mourning Amadi “whose writings and postulations as a novelist, poet and playwright introduced many generations of the world to the vibrant Nigerian culture.”