President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the the government and people of Kaduna State over the demise of the former deputy governor, Mr Barnabas Bala Bantex, who died in Abuja on Sunday.
This was as the state government declared Monday as work-free day to mourn the departed politician.
Barntex was Goveror Nasiru el-Rufai’s deputy in his first tenure from 2015 to 2019.
Buhari, in a condolence message by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, described the deceased as a “true gentleman and consummate professional.”
He said Barntex would be fondly remembered for his many years of distinguished service in his home state, his patriotism to the nation as well as forthrightness in politics.
The president also affirmed that the former deputy governor, who served as chairman of Kaura Local Government and represented Kaura in the House of Representatives, was a potent voice on peace, stability and progress.
The Special Adviser to Governor el-Rufai on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, in a statement on Sunday in Kaduna, said that the work-free day was in honour of Bala’s memory and service to the state.
Adekeye said that el-Rufai had sent a personal message of condolence to the family, noting that it was a blessing to know Bantex and to work with him.
He said that the governor acknowledged the deceased’s commitment to the progress of the state and prayed God to grant him peaceful repose and to comfort his family.