Sambo, Yero absent at funeral
By Moh Bello Habib, Zaria,
and Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna
The remains of elder statesman, Umaru Dikko, were yesterday buried in Zaria City, Kaduna state.
Hundreds of people from all over the state attended the funeral prayer.
Blueprint reports that neither the Vice-President, Alhaji Mohammed Namadi Sambo, nor Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, the Dallatun Zazza, was amongst those that attended the funeral prayer.
Those that attended included the leader of the federal government delegation, Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, high ranking public servants, politicians and top government functionaries.
Speaking with Blueprint shortly after the prayer, the Provost, Federal College of Education, Zaria, Dr Mukhtar Ibrahim Turaki, described the death of Dikko as a “loss to the country.”
He said the deceased died when his contribution in one way or the other to make the country greater than “it is now is needed.”
Maccido noted that it also created a very wide vacuum that would take a long time to be filled in his community, state and the country at large.
Dikko died last week in London following a brief illness.
Different dates were fixed for the burial but it was not possible because of the lack of the corpse on the ground.
The remains arrived in the country from London and got to his Kaduna residence around 8:30 a.m.
At the palace of the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, the funeral prayers were led by Sheikh Kasimu Auwal, Chief Imam of Zaria Central Mosque, before the remains were taken to the burial ground around 2:30 pm.
Governor Yero was represented by the Secretary to Kaduna State Government, Alhaji Ishaq Hamza Danmahawayi.
It was gathered that Dikko’s British-born wife, Jenny Hafsat Dikko, had wanted the Second Republic minister of transport to be buried in London, but majority of his family members had preferred to have him buried in Zaria, his home town.
