Shettima, Atiku, others attend Prof. Aminu’s Jana’iza funeral prayer

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday, led a high-powered delegation of dignitaries and mourners to the National Mosque, Abuja, for the funeral prayers of the late elder statesman and revered academic, Professor Jibril Aminu.

Aminu, a distinguished cardiologist, former Minister of Education and Petroleum, and one-time Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, passed away earlier on Thursday after a prolonged illness at the age of 85.

The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.

According to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said, “It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.

“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.

“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large.”