5th September, 2015
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno has renamed Legacy Gardens Estate in Maiduguri, after his late deputy, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died month ago in Yola, Adamawa.
The governor made the announcement on Friday in Maiduguri when he received delegation from the National Library Board and members of Biu Forum, Abuja chapter, who paid him condolence visit.
He said that the estate, formerly called Legacy Gardens, consisted of 50 blocks of two-storey luxury buildings, located along Airport road, had been renamed Zannah Mustapha Legacy Gardens.
The governor directed Alhaji Jidda Shuwa, Secretary to the State Government, to supervise the immediate renaming of all sign posts containing the old name around the estate.
He said that his action was predicated on the fact that the late deputy was the chairman of the committee that executed the project.
“Mustapha virtually relocated to the site of the project at some point without neglecting other duties assigned to him.
“He was so passionate about the project; it was usually the first thing he visited in the day and the last he saw in the evenings,” he said.
Shettima added: “Mustapha cannot be replaced, but the least we can do is to sustain his legacies.
“One way to do that is by renaming that very wonderful gardens he supervised from scratch after his name; he deserves even far more than that.”
Earlier, Malam Habib Jato, Chief Executive, National Library of Nigeria, who led the delegation, described the late Mustapha as “a highly committed and patriotic Nigerian, who was so passionate about progress.”
He recalled that as chairman, Board of the National Library, the late deputy governor displayed extreme dedication to work and was generally regarded as a “bulldozer”.
In his remark, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman, Chairman, Biu Forum, thanked Shettima for “a very touchy and comforting tribute authored by the governor and published in the media in honour of our brother.”
He said that the forum appreciated the manner in which Shettima worked closely with his late deputy.
He prayed to God to console the family of the late deputy governor and the people of Borno.