Kaduna ex-gov, Lawal Kaita dies at 85

Former Governor of old Kaduna State, Lawal Kaita, 85, is dead. Born in October 1932, Kaita was reported to have passed away at 5pm yesterday in Abuja after a brief illness.

Information on his burial arrangements was still sketchy at press time, but a family source said his body might be moved to the state for burial.He was elected governor of Kaduna State on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and served from October to December 1983. He attended the Barewa College, Zaria and London School of Economics for his secondary and tertiary education.

Meanwhile, Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has expressed sadness over Kaita’s death.Masari in a statement said, “Nigeria has lost a patriotic son who contributed immensely to the development of contemporary Nigerian politics.”

The statement, signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Abdu Labaran, described the deceased as one of the most accommodating, generous and refined politicians the country has produced.It added: “Politics will never be the same without the jocular banter of the deceased. Katsina State, and indeed Nigeria at large, will miss Kaita’s wise counsel.