Northern Elders Mourn Mohammed, Dikko

T HENorthern Elders Forum ( NEF) has expressed sadness over the death of Second Republic lawmaker, Junaid Mohammed, and former Comptroller General ( CG) of Nigerian Customs Service ( NCS), Abdullahi Dikko. Mohammed, 71, who was the vice presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party ( SDP) in the last general elections, was said to have died in his home state of Kano on Thursday.

He was a strong critic of President Mohammadu Buhari.

Dikko, who was the comptroller general of NCS between August 2009 and August 2015, passed on at the age of 60 years.

The forum, in a condolence message signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Hakeem Baba- Ahmed, yesterday, described Mohammed as an outstanding medical doctor who carved an irreplaceable path as a politician and combined principled activism with ideological politics.

“He had been a key player in the nation’s political fortunes and was always involved in nurturing the democratic process. He had served in the House of Representatives in the Second Republic.

“His outstanding intellect was always available to the north and Nigeria, and he died at a moment when he was deeply involved in the search for a new of life for our country.”

NEF recalled that Dikko was a distinguished public servant, who was humble, generous to his community and a model patriot.

“The Forum joins the nation and their families in praying for Allah’s mercies on them, and His bountiful rewards for their services to their communities and the nation,” the statement said.