By Maryam Abubakar Gulma.
Late Prince Abubakar Audu.
(C) Wikipedia.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State on Friday organised a special prayer session at the Government House Mosque, Lokoja, to mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of former Governor Prince Abubakar Audu.
Represented by the Director-General, Government House Administration, Dr. Shuaibu Umar Oricha, Governor Ododo said the memories of Prince Audu remain evergreen, noting that the infrastructures he established across the state continue to serve the people decades after.
He described the 10th-anniversary prayer as a prelude to a major commemorative event scheduled to hold on Saturday in Ogbonicha, the late leader’s ancestral home.
Governor Ododo urged the congregation to thank God for life and to pray for the repose of Prince Audu’s soul, acknowledging him as an influential Islamic leader and the first executive governor of Kogi State.
He added that Prince Audu’s enduring legacies,including landmark institutions and public structures tohave “stood the test of time and cannot be forgotten.”
Our Correspondent reports that the prayer session was led by Sheikh Maulana Abubakar Adam, with Qur’anic recitations offered by the congregation.
The Chief Imam of the Government House Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Ohu, noted that Governor Ododo deemed it necessary to honour Prince Audu, and has delegated officials to attend the Ogbonicha event on Saturday.
Representatives of Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI), the Council of Ulama, JIBWISS, the League of Imams, and members of the Tijjaniyya order also offered prayers.
In his remarks, the Director-General of Protocol, Alhaji Ibrahim Suleiman, commended Governor Ododo for his foresight, stressing that prayers remain one of the greatest gifts the living can offer the departed. He also announced that the governor will host a major commemorative programme on November 30 in honour of Prince Audu.
Prince Abubakar Audu, who established several key state institutions, including Radio Kogi, Prince Abubakar Audu University Anyigba, and Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, passed away on Prince Abubakar Audu, former Governor of Kogi State, died on November 22, 2015, at the age of 68.
His death occurred shortly after he had participated in the Kogi State gubernatorial election, awaiting result announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
