All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has condoled with the families of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Kutigi, and ex- Chairman of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Hamman Tukur, who both died at the weekend.
Kutigi from Niger State died on Sunday in a London Hospital at the age of 78, while Tukur from Adamawa died on Saturday in Kaduna at 76.
In a statement by Tinubu’s Media Officer, Tunde Rahman, on Sunday, he said Kutigi and Tukur were distinguished Nigerians who served the country creditably well in their different areas of specialisation and capacities.
Rahman quoted Tinubu as saying “the two statesmen would not only be missed by their families, but by all Nigerians”.
Tinubu recalled the late Justice Kutigi’s onerous contributions to the country’s judicial system to jurisprudence and to the political system, describing him as thorough-bred judicial officer who rose through the rank.
He said: “Kutigi served as attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice in Niger State until he was appointed High Court Judge, serving in that office for more than a decade from where he was appointed into the Supreme Court.
“He distinguished himself as the nation’s 11th Chief Justice of Nigeria and served from January 2007 to December 2009.
“I particularly recall how Justice Kutigi helped to stabilise the judiciary and tackled judicial crisis on the eve of his retirement from office.”
On Hamman Tukur, Tinubu commended the former RMAFC chairman for standing firm and holding to the ideals of professionalism and transparency while in office during the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He said: “Though he was appointed by President Obasanjo in 1999, Tukur refused to be cowed in the discharge of his duties and implementation of the revenue allocation formula and other issues around revenue allocation.
“He left indelible marks at RMAFC, leading the way in resolving several disputed oil wells among states in the Niger Delta region and monitoring sources of revenue from both oil and non-oil sectors.
“His efforts led to important improvement in accruals to the Federation Account during the period.”
The APC leader commiserated with the families of the two leaders, the governments and people of Niger and Adamawa states.
He prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the souls of the two leaders eternal rest and grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss.
Born on December 31, 1939, Kutigi served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Niger before he became High Court Judge in 1976.
He joined the Supreme Court in 1992 and was appointed by former President Olusegun Obanjo to succeed former CJN Alfa Belgore in 2007.
Kutigi served as Chief Justice of Nigeria between January 30, 2007 and December 30, 2009.
Born on January 24, 1942 in Adamawa, Tukur, who attended various schools at home and abroad had a B. Sc in Physics and an M. Sc in Engineering.
He started his work career at Consolidated Tin Mines, Jos, before moving to the academia as a lecturer at Kaduna Polytechnic. He was head of Department of Electrical/Electronics before he became the Rector of Kaduna Polytechnic.
From the academia, the Federal Government appointed him the managing director of the defunct National Electric Power Authority, NEPA; director-general, Federal Ministry of Mines, Power and Steel and later director-general, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
Tukur was a Member, Institute of Strategic Studies, Kuru; Fellow Nigerian Society of Engineers; Fellow, Yaba College of Technology and Member, Institute of Electrical Engineers (England). He was also a recipient of Officer of the Federal Republic.
