Top politicians, residents mourn late Sale Hassan

The home of the late Alhaji Sale Hassan in Gangare, Jos city, turned into a Mecca of some sort as soon as news of his death broke. The late octogenarian, a popular politician and elder statesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) died Wednesday evening in his Abuja home at the age of 83, after a protracted illness.

His remains arrived Jos on Wednesday night for the final interment the next day. Our correspondent reports that members of the Hausa and Fulani communities in Jos trooped out in their numbers to condole with members of his immediate family while others took to various social media platforms to mourn a man, whose life was devoted to the care and welfare of his immediate community.

The death of Sale Hassan also attracted a lot of prominent politicians, but it was the ordinary people who paid glowing tributes to the late astute politician and have continued to visit his home to mourn with his family. Late Hassan was perceived as not only a politician but a philanthropist, mentor and community leader, a development which earned him the name, ‘Garkuwan Jasawa.’

Many politicians including former Secretary to the Federal Government, Baba Gana Kingibe, former Minister of Defence, Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu as well as former Minister of State for Information, Dasuki Nakande, visited the deceased Gangare home to condole with the family.

President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the late veteran politician and community leader as “a tireless campaigner for peace in Plateau State and the entire country,” and said his legacy will remain with the nation for a long time.

Governor Simon Lalong, who visited the home of the late Plateau State Chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Second Republic, described him as a peace maker whose wise counsel contributed to the peace building efforts in the state.

“The state will miss the wise counsel of the elder-statesman whose legacy of peaceful coexistence remains indelible,” Lalong said.

On his part, the Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who also visited the Gangare home of the deceased, described the death of Sale Hassan as a huge loss to northern Nigeria and the nation in general. Dankwanbo described the deceased as “a true democrat, who played vital roles for the emergence of today’s Nigeria.

Senator Jeremiah Useni, in a statement noted that as an astute politician, “Sale Hassan’s life exemplified truthfulness in the quest for nation building”.

The late elder statesman was said to be among the youngest political protégées of late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello and had served as the Deputy Director of the President Shehu Shagari Campaign organisation in 1983.

Late Saleh Hassan was also the national executive member of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) and served as a director in the campaign directorate of late Malam Adamu Chiroma’s presidential team in the Third Republic.

He was the founder, National Coordinator of the defunct Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) during Gen. Sani Abacha’s democratic process and one time presidential aspirant under the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).

The deceased who is survived by four wives, many children and grandchildren was buried on Thursday in Jos, according to Islamic rites.