Olu Samuel
The Kogi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has expressed deep shock and profound grief the news of the passing of former Governor of the State, , Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, CON.
The two term governor passed on in the early hours of Sunday,20th September ,2016 in the United Kingdom at the age of 77.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the party and signed by the state Chairman, Mohammed Sani Gambo.
“On behalf of the State Working Committee, the State Executive Committee, elders, leaders and the entire PDP family in Kogi State, I convey our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Hajia Aisha Ibrahim Idris, his children, the entire Idris family, the Government and people of Kogi State, and the PDP family nationwide”.
He said that the death of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris is a monumental loss not only to the PDP but to Kogi State and Nigeria at large.
“His administration from 2003 to 2012 under the platform of our great party, the PDP, remains a watershed in the political and developmental history of Kogi State. It was nine years of purposeful, people-centred and all-inclusive governance that laid the solid foundation upon which the modern Kogi State stands today.
He said that that he was a leader with a large heart who governed Kogi with humility, compassion and unity.
“He broke barriers of ethnicity, religion and senatorial divides and made every Kogite see Kogi as one family.
From massive road infrastructure across the three senatorial districts, to the building of the State Secretariat Complex, the Confluence Stadium, the Kogi State University Teaching Hospital, rural electrification, water schemes, housing estates, and the unprecedented human capital development and empowerment of youths, women and the less privileged, his achievements remain indelible.”
According to him, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris institutionalized prompt payment of workers’ salaries, promoted peace and stability, and ran a government that listened to the people. His politics was without bitterness, his philanthropy knew no bounds, and his loyalty to the PDP was absolute till his last breath.
As a member of the Board of Trustees of our party, he remained a father figure, a stabilizing force and a beacon of wisdom whose counsel will be sorely missed.
Kogi State has lost a giant, the PDP has lost a pillar, and Nigeria has lost a true statesman.
We pray Almighty Allah forgives his shortcomings, grants him Aljanat Firdaus and grants his family and all of us the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss”he added.