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Life and times of Maitama Sule

Published

9 years ago

July 3, 2017

The late Danmasanin of Kano, Amb. Maitama Sule will be buried Tuesday at Emir of Kano Palace—the last honour for the man the north denied the opportunity of picking the NPN ticket 38 years ago.

But Sule will always be remembered for his flamboyance in speech and style.

Sule was minister of mines and power during the first republic administration of Abubakar

Tafawa Balewa, and later minister for national guidance in 1983.

Seven years earlier, Murtala Mohammed, then military head of state, had appointed him to head the junta’s Public Complaints Commission

In the 1979 transition to civil rule, Sule vied for the presidential ticket of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, and he lost to his major rival Shehu Shagari in a neck-and-neck race that ended in a re-run.

ALSO SEE: Maitama Sule dies in Cairo hospital

President Shagari would later fling Sule to the United Nations as Nigeria’s ambassador.

The orator eventually chaired the United Nations Standing Committee Against Apartheid still in force in South Africa.

Since his retirement, Sule had been harping on the need to unite Nigeria so the labour of the founding fathers would not be in vain.

The late 88-year-old was diagnosed with pneumonia and chest infections at the Kano’s Nasarawa Hospital on Saturday.

He was later flown to a Cairo hospital where he died early Monday morning.