The remains of the first civilian governor of old Kaduna state, Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, have been laid to rest on Wednesday according to Islamic rites.
Musa died on Wednesay morning at the age of 86 years.
He was elected governor of old Kaduna state (before the creation of Katsina state from Kaduna State ) in 1979 on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and was impeached in 1981 by the State House of Assembly .
He was buried according to Islamic rites at the Anguwan Sarki Cemetery, Kaduna after prayers at the Sultan Bello Mosque
Thousands of sympathisers and associates trooped out to pay him last respect.
The statement signed by Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s spokesman, said as governor, Musa made notable contributions towards industrialising Kaduna state. “As a leader, he demonstrated at the ballot box, the capacity of a political party devoted to the protection of the interest of ordinary people to acquire power democratically.
“As a private citizen, he projected the qualities of principled politics, decency, integrity, consistency and commitment to improving the lives of our ‘talakawa’ in Kaduna State and Nigeria”, the governor said.
El-Rufai said, “Despite the setback of his unwarranted impeachment from the office as governor, “Musa remained steadfast to his principles and spoke his mind often, helping to project a radical voice in public discourse in defense of democracy, and to advance social justice.”
Giving insight as to how the former governor died, one of his sons, Kazeem, said, “I am happy that my father, who I shared his political philosophy died in the presence of his family members today. He left behind a legacy of African records. I am very delighted to have a father like him (Balarabe Musa).”
According to him, the former governor died of a heart-related ailment that spanned for almost a decade. When asked how he would remember his father, he said, “he will be remembered as a lover of the poor and I will remember him for the training he gave us as his children as well as the mentorship that I received from him. He was not only a father to me but a mentor. I like his political ideology.
“He was straight forward and honest. “
