Nigerians have commiserated with the families of the former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu, on the 40th day fidau prayers.
Mantu, who represented Plateau Central in the Senate from 1999 to 2007, died on August 17, 2021, due to complications from COVID-19 infection and was buried according to Islamic rites.
Although the Fidau prayers would have been held yesterday, the family in a statement signed by Musa Mantu and Umar Ibrahim Mantu, sons of the late senator said the congregational prayers would not hold due to existing COVID-19 protocols.
According to the family, plans for the Fidau prayers were interrupted in order to ensure compliance to all rules and regulations as stipulated by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) safety protocols.
“We want to plead with our well-wishers to spend the day to pray for the repose of his soul and always put the family in their prayers. As you can see, the Covid-19 protocol is taking new dimension and changing the way the world is relating almost on a daily basis.
Jonathan Sunday Akuns, who commiserated with the family and the Government of Plateau State, noted that the deceased was a father figure, leader and elder statesman.
Akuns recalled that Mantu’s elderly disposition, simplicity, sterling qualities and positive characters will surely be missed, adding that he contributed positively in laying solid foundation for a strong democratic structures and the growth of Nigeria.
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“His departure to eternity came at a very crucial time, when his experience and statesmanship was highly required.
“The former Deputy Senate President was a true definition of a detribalised Nigerian who stood and died pursuing the unity of our country,” he said.
According to Akuns, Mantu was a man who rose in his political adventure to become one of the most vibrant senators ever produced in the history of Nigerian politics.
He noted that before his demise, the Late Senator was a rare breed African politician, who made a clear statement as a charismatic political influencer in Nigeria, especially, when he held sway as the Deputy Senate President from 2003 to 2007.
He said, “The deceased was a witty political giant with a unique capacity to decipher and wriggle his way out of any complex or dicey situation characteristic of Nigerian politics. At a point in the country, this pragmatist assumed the status of a larger-than-life political figure.
“During his two tenures, the Distinguished Senator attracted several projects and appointments to his constituency and Plateau State in general. However, he was accused of facilitating the imposition of the controversial state of emergency in Plateau State, when all political structures were suspended during Governor Joshua Dariye’s second tenure. His role also led to the impeachment of the governor, which was later voided by the Supreme Court.”
Indigenes of Plateau State who also commiserated with the family said the death of Mantu marked the end of an eventful political era that brought together warring political gladiators from the state and Nigeria who converged on his residence in Abuja to bid him farewell.
They remarked that such convergence could be leveraged upon to build bridges of understanding and lasting reunion of strange political bedfellows.
“The rainbow gathering of late Mantu’s family members, friends and political associates to mourn this great political phenomenon can be updated through memorial lectures to sustain his legacies.
“A great patriot has departed, but indeed his unique political school of thought shall continue to remain a debatable thesis with great potentials to deepen Nigeria’s political jurisprudence. A great vacuum has been created in Nigeria’s political space.”
