Fashola Mourns Mbu, Aluko

pmnews-placeholder

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Tuesday mourned the passing on of Nigeria’s one time High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Mathew Mbu and renowned Economist, Professor Samuel Aluko, describing their death as painful.

Ambassador Mbu, who died Monday in a London hospital at the age of 82 years, held the distinction of being the youngest Nigerian to serve in the Federal Cabinet when he was elected into parliament in 1952 and later served as Minister of Labour in 1954.

Professor Aluko, Nigeria’s foremost Economist who served as Economic Adviser to the late General Sani Abacha, also passed on in a London hospital on Tuesday at the age of 83.

Governor Fashola described Ambassador Mbu as a nationalist, globalist and diplomat “who, in more ways than could ever be recorded, contributed immensely to the growth and development of our dear country.”

Related News

Paying tributes to the late ambassador, the governor acknowledged the deceased as a “refined and knowledgeable gentleman, whose genial and affable nature, coupled with a vast vocabulary and skilful use of English Language, ensured that there was never a dull moment at any gathering where he held court.

“It is little wonder then that he recorded the many distinctions that he did in his eventful life of service to his fatherland, including the youngest Federal Minister in Nigeria to date, and the important and most coveted position of the first and youngest ever Nigerian High Commissioner to the Court of St. James”, the governor said.

On Professor Aluko, the Governor described him as an esteemed Economist whose views on both national and global economies were respected worldwide. He regretted that the passage of the erudite Professor, particularly at this point in time, has robbed the country of the wisdom of one of her most reliable economists, when she needed such counsel to stabilize her economy.

Fashola regretted that “the shoes left behind by these two great Nigerians will be hard to fill”, praying that the Almighty God would grant their souls sweet repose for the great service they rendered to their fatherland. The Governor also prayed that the Almighty God would comfort their immediate families at this time of grief.

Load more