Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Northwest Nigeria, has said he received with immense sadness and a deep feeling of great national loss, news of the passing away of the Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Governor, in a statement signed by the commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, noted that despite his ailing condition, the monarch’s uncommon leadership qualities earned him respect as traditional ruler since his days as Sarkin Gaya and until his death as first-class Emir in Kano.
He said the death of the Emir of one of the oldest Emirates in northern Nigeria has created a vacuum difficult to be filled considering his contributions to peace, stability and progress in his domain and the country.
Alhaji Abdulkadir, who has been on the throne of Sarkin Gaya since 1990 has held several traditional positions to include district head of Kunchi and that of Minjibir, among others. He was one of the four Emirs elevated to first class Emirs by the Ganduje administration after the creation of Rano, Gaya, Bichi and Karaye Emirates in 2019.
Governor Ganduje, who is away in Abuja when the Emir’s death was announced, stated that the demise of the monarch is a big blow to his immediate family, Gaya Emirate, the government and the entire people of Kano state.
He prayed Allah in His infinite mercy to grant his soul Aljannah Firdausi and called on the entire people of the Emirate to bear the loss with the spirit of acquiescence to God’s will.
The governor also urged them to take solace in the fact that endurance was not the measure of a good life but the sense of fulfilment.
