17th July, 2012
As Nigeria’s longest reigning monarch, the Attah Igala in Kogi state, Alhaji Aliyu Obaje was laid to rest today in accordance with Islamic rites, President Goodluck Jonathan has poured encomiums on the departed king.
In a statement issued in Abuja today, Jonathan remarked on Dr. Obaje’s long and eventful stewardship of the traditional affairs of the Igala people, and his contributions to the social and political development of Kogi State and Nigeria for which he received the National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic, died.
Obaje died in his palace in Idah yesterday on at the age of 102. He became the 26th Attah Igala in 1956 and had served for 56 years.
In his lifetime, he was a minister in the Northern Region Government headed by the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello.
He was also a member of two constitutional conferences in London in the build-up to Nigeria’s Independence.
He was appointed the Chairman of Kogi Council of Traditional Chiefs in 1992, a position he held until his death.
He was also the Chancellor of the University of Lagos.
President Jonathan also expressed his sympathy to the family of the king and the people of Igala Kingdom.
At the funeral in Idah today, Gov. Idris Wada of Kogi state described the death Alhaji Aliyu Obaje, as a big loss to the state and nation.
Wada said that the monarch was a bridge builder, mediator, peacemaker, and someone who worked tirelessly for the stability and unity of the state and the nation.
Represented by his deputy, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, Wada said at the funeral that the reign of the late paramount ruler of the Igala Kingdom was characterised by peace and development.
He said that the Attah’s reign and tenure as Chairman of the State Traditional Council from 1992 to date was devoid of rancour, acrimony or division.
The deceased ensured that traditional institutions met the yearnings and aspirations of the people.
“We, as a government will miss his experience, counsel and patriotism. We pray God to grant the family, the Igala kingdom and the state, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,’’ he said.
He urged the family to “ensure that the Obaje’s family name is kept as a shining banner without stain.’’
Earlier, the Eje of Ankpa, Alhaji Ahmadu Yakubu, who spoke on behalf of traditional rulers, asked for prayers for the late monarch.
The Chief Imam of Idah, Alhaji Yahaya Udale, prayed for the repose his soul.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar was represented at the funeral by Alhaji Magaji Riyan, while traditional rulers from the kingdom, government functionaries and other people witnessed the burial.
The eldest son of the monarch, Prince Kabba Obaje, who spoke on behalf of the family, described his father as a symbol of unity.
He assured the sympathisers that those he left behind would carry on from where he stopped
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among those who paid tributes to the late king. Atiku said one of the enduring legacies of the late Attah of Igala, Alhaji Aliyu Obaje was his commitment to education, modernity peace and unity.
In a condolence message issued by his media office in Abuja, the former Vice President recalled that as one of the Northern leaders with early exposure to Western education, the late Attah had worked tirelessly to bring his people in tune with the challenges of modernity.
He described the late Attah of Igala as a rare traditional ruler who embodied integrity and selflessness throughout his sojourn on earth.
“The late Attah Igala was known to have held his kingdom together and it is on record that there was no major crisis during his long reign which spanned over a period of 56 years,” Atiku said.