Northern Senators mourn Bamanga Tukur

Hours after the passing of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur at 90 on Saturday, the Northern Senators Forum ( NSF) , mourned and paid tribute to the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) .

In a personally signed statement by Chairman of the forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua ( Katsina Central), Bamanga Tukur was described as a great son of the North and Nigeria whose demise would surely be felt .

“Alhaji Tukur embodied the very best of northern leadership. From his pioneering work as General Manager of the Nigerian Ports Authority from 1975 to 1982, to his election as Governor of the old Gongola State in 1983, he set a standard of institution-building and welfarism that inspired a generation.

“His service as Federal Minister of Industries from 1993 to 1995 and later as National Chairman of the PDP from 2012 to 2014 further affirmed his commitment to governance, party discipline and national unity”, said the forum .

NSF further chronicled the deceased’s impactful public service while alive by saying ” Beyond public office, the late Tafidan Adamawa was a titan of enterprise and Pan-African vision. As Chairman of BHI Holdings and DADDO Group, he invested in manufacturing, agriculture and logistics, creating opportunities for Nigerians.

“As Executive President of the African Business Roundtable and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group, he championed intra-African trade and private sector-led development, projecting Nigeria’s economic voice across the continent and globally. His counsel was sought by leaders at home and abroad.

“What distinguished Alhaji Tukur most was his character. He was generous, urbane, and guided by integrity and service — values central to the Adamawa Emirate and the North”

It added that the late elder statesman, was a mentor to many of the Northern Senators in politics and business just as it said “” He was a statesman who chose consensus over conflict, and a patriot who never doubted Nigeria’s potentials “