Senate holds valedictory for late member

The Senate on Wednesday reaffirmed that it would set up an endowment fund to support families of deceased members of the National Assembly.

The upper chamber made reinforced the resolution in a valedictory session for Sen. Mustapha Bukar (APC – Katsina North), who died on April 4.

The senators, who set the day aside to pay their last respect to their late colleague, took turns to extol his virtues.

According to the lawmakers, Sen. Bukar lived a committed life to the service of humanity.

Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, who read the biography of the deceased, urged the Senate to expeditiously pass all the bills sponsored by Bukar before his demise.

He said that passage of the bills would be one of the ways to appreciate his contributions to the deliberations at the Senate and development of the country.

Lawan also urged the upper chamber to conclude its earlier plans to immortalise deceased members of the National Assembly as a way of rewarding their efforts and further encouraging serving members to be dutiful.

In his contribution, Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, described the death of the Bukar as “a heavy blow” to the Senate.

He said that the deceased was committed to providing education to Nigerian children, pointing out that the last bill the lawmaker sponsored before his death was on the establishment of Federal Polytechnic, Daura, Katsina State.

Ekweremadu said the deceased was a humane and diligent gentleman, and was “a pan-Nigerian and a pro-masses lawmaker’’, who showed great interest in finding lasting solutions to the nation’s perennial energy problem.

On his part, the Minority Leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, described the late Bukar as “a peace builder”, whose death was “very painful’’.

Deputy Leader of the Senate, Sen. Bala Na’Allah, pointed out that late Bukar never had problems with anybody throughout his stay in the Red Chamber, and said “I am diminished by his death”.

In his remarks, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said though Bukar was a first-time lawmaker, he stood out with his quality contributions on the floor, his pragmatism and work towards strengthening the legislature.

He expressed regret that the apex legislative chamber, and indeed Nigerians, would sorely miss the deceased as a result of his vibrancy in legislative proceedings.

The senators resolved to send a delegation to condole the family of the deceased, the people and government of Katsina State.