Bauchi longest serving traditional ruler dies at 95, Buhari mourns

© Getty Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari poses as he arrives for the 75th anniversary celebrations of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on November 12, 2021. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)He has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said the death of the Emir, who he described as one of the longest-reigning traditional rulers in Africa, “is the end of an era.”

Reacting to the death of the Emir, who was laid to rest on Sunday, Buhari, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said, “The demise of Emir Ahmad Muhammadu Wabi who had ruled for 50 years is a great loss not only to Bauchi State but also the entire country because his enormous contributions to peaceful coexistence are incalculable.

“The late Emir was a decent man who had spent 50 years serving his people without any controversy trailing his remarkable reign.”

The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, also described as a “monumental loss” the death of the Emir.

This was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado, and made available to journalists in Bauchi on Sunday.

Mohammed described the Emir as a peace lover who detested violence, saying his greatest legacy was his dedication to a stable and united Bauchi State.

The statement read in part, “Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has described the death of the Emir of Jama’are, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammad Wabi, as a monumental loss to the emirate and the entire people of Bauchi State.

“The governor, who attended the funeral prayer for the late Emir with his deputy and other top government functionaries, conveyed on behalf of his family, the government and the good people of Bauchi State his deepest condolences to the immediate family of the late Emir, the Jama’are Emirate Council and the people of the state on the demise of the elder statesman.

“Governor Bala Mohammed said the late Emir was a man of many solid parts, a peace loving royal father, who detested violence and his greatest legacy was his dedication to a stable and united Bauchi State. These sterling qualities, according to the governor, will forever remain in the hearts of our people.”