President Bola Tinubu has described the late former Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, Bamanga Mohammed Tukur, as a towering figure whose influence cut across Nigerian politics, public administration and business.
Tinubu said the country had lost a man whose decades of public service and enterprise earned him a place in Nigeria’s political and economic history.
Tukur, a former governor of the old Gongola State and Minister of Industries, died on Saturday at the age of 90 after a prolonged illness.
In a condolence message issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said Tukur’s career reflected a life dedicated to public service, governance, industry, politics and pan-African business leadership.
“Alhaji Tukur was urbane, generous and deeply rooted in the values of integrity and service that the Adamawa Emirate and the nation hold dear,” the President said.
Tinubu added that Tukur was a man of “big ideas and bold enterprise” who believed in Nigeria’s potential, saying the country would miss his wise counsel and fatherly guidance.
Tukur’s public career began in the maritime sector, where he served as General Manager of the Nigerian Ports Authority from 1975 to 1982.
He later entered politics and was elected governor of the old Gongola State in 1983. The state was subsequently divided into present-day Adamawa and Taraba states.
He also served as Minister of Industries under the military administration of General Sani Abacha before becoming National Chairman of the PDP in March 2012.
Tukur resigned as PDP chairman in January 2014 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Beyond politics, he built a business career spanning manufacturing, agriculture, logistics and trading and served in continental business organisations, including the African Business Roundtable and the NEPAD Business Group.
Tinubu condoled with the Tukur family, the Fombina Emirate of Adamawa, the Adamawa State Government and the political and business communities in Nigeria and across Africa.
He prayed that Allah would forgive Tukur’s shortcomings, grant him Aljannah Firdaus and comfort his family and other mourners.