Labour leader, Comrade Issa Aremu, has expressed shock at the death of publisher and industrialist, Malam Ismaila Isa Funtua, describing him as an enthusiastic employer of labour and driver of Cotton, Textile and Garment policy.
The Vice President of Industrial Global Union and former NEC member of Nigerian Labour Congress, also condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari and the government and people of Katsina state over the death of the former minister, who died on Monday.
“We received with deep shock the death of Malam Ismaila Isa Funtua in Abuja on Monday at the age of 78 years.
“Malam meant many things to all: a publisher, elder statesman, a silent and dignified politician. We would like to remember him as an investor and enthusiastic employer of labour. Until his death Malam Isa Funtua was among the few standing African entrepreneurs on the side of domestic production in place of wholesale importation and smuggling.
“Notwithstanding the challenges of electricity supply, smuggling and high costs of long term funds for investment, Malam Isa, tirelessly worked for Industrialization and beneficiation in Nigeria. He was among the drivers of the historic first comprehensive Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy announced by President Muhammadu Buhari two years ago. The CTG policy aims at reviving the entire value chains of cotton growing, ginneries, spinning and weaving, printing and garments production.
“The survival of the few pioneers textile mills namely United Nigerian Textile Company, Kaduna and Ikorodu, Lagos (which used to employ 10,500 workers) and Funtua Textile Mill with over 700 workers presently can almost single handedly be attributed to the relentless activism and investment patriotism of Alhaji Isa Funtua.
“We hereby convey our heartfelt condolences to President Muhammadu Buhari, the UNTL group of companies, government and people of Katsina state and leadership of National Union of Textile and Garment (NUTGWN) and Textile and Garment Employers Association (NTGEA) for this singular irreplaceable loss.”
Aremu said that Isa Funtua would be greatly missed by employers, workers, trade unions, traders, and ministry officials dealing with textile and garment value chains. He urged Northern states Governor to sustain his legacy by ensuring “speedy and full implementation of Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG), the proposed establishment of industrial park in Funtua, revival of Kaduna Textile Mill as well as payment of outstanding entitlements of the workers.
“Malam Isa was quite excited by the Ajaokuta -Kaduna -Kano (AKK), 614-km long natural gas pipeline recently launched by President Muhammadu Buhari. If completed the gas pipeline has the potential to further deepen industrialisation and job creation, in textile, petrochemical industries and power generation plants with attendant millions of downstream jobs,” Aremu said.
“Funtua was publishers of the defunct Democrat newspapers, he was elected Vice President to the late MKO Abiola as President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), he declined to succeed MKO as President with the latter being incarcerated by General Sani Abacha. He later became the President of the NPAN.
“Isa Funtua, the youngest minister in the Shagari administration, was a staunch defender of a free press and free speech, philanthropist, humanist, chairman and director of many successful companies. Until his death on Monday, he was a life patron of the NPAN,” Aremu said.
