Buhari, Niger gov mourn as Emir of Kontagora dies at 84
The Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora, Niger State, Alhaji Saidu Umaru Namaska, is dead. He was 84. Daily Trust gathered that he died at an Abuja hospital.
The monarch, until his death, was the Vice-Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers and spent 47 years on the throne having ascended to the stool in 1974 as the sixth Sarkin Sudan, Kontagora.
His funeral prayer took place yesterday at the Palace of Sarkin Sudan, Kontagora, according to the state government.
The emir’s death comes three months after bandits gunned down his son during an attack on the monarch’s farm.
Alhaji Bashar Saidu Namaska, the deceased’s son, was on the farm along Zuru road in Kontagora Local Government Area when the bandits struck.
Some other people working with him were also said to have been shot dead while an unspecified number of cows were rustled.
Buhari, Niger mourn
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the late Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora was a decent traditional ruler, who brought dignity and respect to the throne during his 47 years reign.
President Buhari, in a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu, said Saidu Namaska devoted himself to the service of his people and the promotion of peace and harmony in his domain.
The president described his death as “Another great loss of one of the longestserving and most revered traditional rulers in the country.”
The president said, “The death of
Namaska is indeed the end of an era, having ruled for 47 years, making him one of the longest-serving traditional rulers in Nigeria.”
President Buhari extended his condolences to Niger State Government, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers and family of the deceased.
He prayed to Allah to grant the late Namaska eternal rest and reward his noble deeds with paradise.
Similarly, Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, described the late monarch as a bridge-builder who reached across ethnic, cultural, and religious divides to promote peace and unity not only in his domain but the state as a whole.
In a statement, Secretary to the Niger State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, said Niger State and Nigeria as a whole has lost one of its longest-reigning monarchs, whose contributions to the peaceful co-existence of his subjects and unity among Nigerians cannot be forgotten in years to come.
Alhaji Saidu Namaska was born in Kontagora on 31st, December 1937. He began his educational carrier at Kontagora Elementary School between 1945 and 1950 and in 1950, entered the famous Bida Middle School, which he completed successfully in 1953.
Upon completion of his secondary education, the young prince began his working carrier with the then Native Authority in 1954 as a forest guard. In 1957, Alhaji Saidu Namaska was promoted to the post of District Scribe and later appointed as an area court president in 1968 and posted to Salka. In 1971, he was transferred to Mahuta, in Zuru District.
As a judicial officer, Alhaji Saidu attended a Judicial Course at the Institute of Administration, Zaria in 1962 from where he obtained the institute’s second-class certificate in Judiciary.
Determined for excellence, the 1st class Emir consolidated his career in the judiciary as he attended an advanced Judiciary course at the same institute and obtained the First-Class Certificate in 1972. Two years later, in 1974 precisely, Alhaji Namaska ascended to the throne as the 6th Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora. Until his death, he was the Vice-Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers.
The late Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora is survived by wives, children and greatgrandchildren.