By Dada Ahmed in lokoja
Beggars in lokoja, capital of kogi state, have expressed shock over the death of one of the prominent politicians Nigeria ever produced, Alhaji Balarabe Musa,(84),who died in Kaduna on Wednesday at 84.
The Reporters recalls that one of the sons of the deceased, Abdulkasum Musa,had told the world that his father died consequent upon complications arising from heart attack he suffered in the early hours of Wednesday in his house in Kaduna.
Our correspondent who visited old market in lokoja,where beggars usually gathered for alms, to feel their pause on the unfortunate development, reports that these vulnerable individuals were seen in pensive mood.
In separate interview with our correspondent in Hausa language, many of them described the late Balarabe Musa, as the “emancipator of the poor and the oppressed in the society.”
Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim, a 55-year-old blind, said he broke into tears immediately the news filtered into his hearing that “my Balarabe Musa, the man who loved the poor with all his heart is no more.”
Another vulnerable (crippled), Mallam Isah Mohammed, told The Reporters that though Balarabe Musa had ended his life on this planet earth, the legacy he left behind, particularly his passion for the welfare for the poor, would linger in his mind and many of his colleagues for years to come.
“How I wish Nigerian politicians can borrow a leaf fromal Mallam Balarabe Musa’s political ideology which focused on the need to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich, so that life can be better for all of us”, he spoke in Hausa language.
” Though he could not achieve his passion,as it should be,due to nature of the society we are, the fact remains that he tried hid best, leaving the rest for posterity,” Mohammed said.
Yet another beggar, Mallam Nuhu Aliu, who said he lost one of his hands(left) in an autocrash some years back, also expressed dismay over the sudden demise of the former governor of Kaduna, describing him as a great lover of the “Talakawas.”
“We, the beggars, will sorely miss Balarabe Musa’ he said, nodding his head in remorse.
Aliu, who noted that Balarabe’s was an act of almighty Allah, prayed almighty Allah to grant the deceased aljana firdaus and his his family and the nation the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Other beggers said the best way to immortalise Balarabe Musa would be for the rich to remember the poor, in terms of benevolence, in order to reduce poverty and for government at all levels to have specific programme that uplift the poor in the country.
This they argued would curb the wide gap between the haves and have nots and bring about equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth.
Meanwhile, our correspondent in Kaduna reports that the Rimi quarters of the late former governor has continued to receive many sympathisers who trooped in to the area to register their condolences for the man they described as a honest and principled politician.
The Reporters recalls that Balarabe Musa won his governorship election in 1979 on the platform of the Peoples’Redemption Party (PRP), a party noted for championing the cause of the poor in the country.
