By Hussaina Yakubu
Kaduna – The Kaduna State government has described the late Dr Sa’ad Usman, the Emir Jere as an accomplished gentleman who contributed enormously to the development of the state.
A statement signed by Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Governor on Friday said that the state government received the news of the late traditional ruler with sadness.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Usman died on April 1 after battling with ill health. He has since been buried according to Islamic rites.
“As an elder statesman, Dr Sa’ad Usman lived a long and fulfilled life of public service, spanning the banking sector, the academia and civil service, culminating into becoming the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government in 1991.
“Afterwards, he retired from public service to inherit the throne of his forefathers as Sarkin Jere, a position he held until his death on April 1.
‘’As a director in the civil service, Usman was the engine room of the industrialisation drive of the old Kaduna State, when a cottage industry was located in each of the 14 local government areas in the state in the Second Republic, leveraging on their individual comparative advantages,” the statement said.
It listed few of the industries to include the Ikara Tomato Processing Company, Kachia Ginger Company and Zaria Pharmaceutical Company.
According to the statement, though most of the companies are now moribund, the industrialisation of the state during that era was foresighted and Usman was central to it.
It said that Usman taught Macro-Economics at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, combining it with his practical experience to enrich his students in the alternatives science.
“As secretary to the Kaduna State Government, Usman was pivotal to the stabilisation of the civil service, which transited from a military regime.
‘’He attained the proverbial three scores and 10 years, when he died at 70, a ripe age when his counsel would have been greatly needed, especially in inter-communal harmony.
“Kaduna State wishes to convey its deep sense of loss and to commiserate with the deceased’s family and the people of Jere chiefdom at large over the passage of the late accomplished gentleman.
“We pray Allah to grant him eternal rest,’’ the statement said.
(NAN)