Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has described as a painful loss the death of Malam Isma’ila Isa Funtua.
Lawan, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, on Tuesday, expressed his heartfelt condolences to family of the late business mogul, community leader, social and political activist and nationalist.
“The news of the death of Malam Isa Funtua left me with profound sadness.
“He was a man who touched many lives and impacted the development of Nigeria with his foresight, industry, enterprise, boundless enthusiasm, magnetism, friendliness and accommodating spirit.
“Malam Isa Funtua made friends across tribe, religion, generation and class in Nigeria, and touched many lives in public service as well as in his private life,” Lawan said.
He described the departed as a man of many parts who brought to bear his great intelligence, energy and integrity on everything thing that he did.
Lawan said the late Malam Isa Funtua was a pioneer and trail blazer who established an authoritative national newspaper and a giant construction company through both of which he has left indelible footprints on the physical and sociology-political landscapes of Nigeria.
“Even in death, Malam Isa Funtua’s presence will continue to be felt for a long time by Nigerians,” Lawan said.
The Senate President commiserated with the Government and People of Katsina State over the loss.
Lawan also particularly condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari who has lost a close friend, trusted ally and in-law.
Lawan prayed Allah to comfort the loved ones that Isa Funtua left behind, forgive his sins and accept his soul in Aljannat Firdaus.
In his tribute, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said: “The passing of elder-statesman, nationalist newspaper publisher and prominent businessman, Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua, is a saddening national loss. He was a rare individual of immense talents, abilities and generousity.
“We spoke two days before, as we often do. He spoke vibrantly, with his trademark logic and deep knowledge. We ended our conversation agreeing to resume soon again. There was no indication that this would be our last talk.
“I had the distinct honour of knowing this man for many years. Mallam Funtua loved our nation with uncompromising passion having served Nigeria with dedication and commitment at different times in many important capacities.
“He wanted the best for the country and its people and worked diligently in his private capacity to advance the course of Nigeria.
“As a long-time friend, associate and in-law of President Muhammadu Buhari, he served as a strong buttress of support for the president and for his progressive administration.
“I commiserate with President Buhari at this time for we have suffered the loss of another person of great intellect and extraordinary character. Our national family mourns deeply because of this unexpected departure, May Allah give our President the added strength and grace to overcome this loss.
“I mourn with the immediate and extended Funtua family who have lost a father, patriarch and much more.
“My condolences to Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State and the Funtua Community.
We have lost too many outstanding Nigerians in such a short time. We cannot question why for the will of Almighty Allah is sovereign and supreme.
“Yet, we must dedicate ourselves to continue and to finish the work started by these excellent souls. We must carry on so that we lend even greater meaning to the lives they lived.
“I ask Almighty Allah to accept the soul of Mallam Funtua and admit him to Aljanna Firdaus. May Allah in His munificence also grant his family and all those he left behind the inner fortitude, peace and dedication to continue after him”.
Lagos state Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, described the death as a great loss to Nigeria, happening at a time when the country is desirous of more men of good conscience to offer wise counsel in the nation’s drive towards socio-political and economic development.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile on Tuesday, commiserated with President Muhammadu Buhari for the passing of a close friend and political associate.
He said: “Although the loss of a loved one is usually a painful experience, we should take solace in the fact that death itself is a natural occurrence and it is inevitable”.
Governor Sanwo-Olu added that the late Isa Funtua would be missed by a wide range of people and professional bodies, especially the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
He said: the late elder statesman lived a life of purpose, championing the right causes such as a free press, which is the soul of democracy. He was a philanthropist of note, a well respected personality with a lot of knowledge and experience.”
Sanwo-Olu commiserated with President Muhammadu Buhari, his immediate family, the governor and people of Katsina state, praying that almighty Allah grants the deceased Aljanah firdaus and gives those he has left behind the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State expressed deep sorrow over the death of Isa-Funtua, Chairman of Bullet International, an indigenous construction company.
Masari’s condolence is contained in a statement by his Director-General, Media, Abdu Labaran, on Tuesday in Katsina.
He described with solemnity, the death of Isa-Funtua, as a loss of monumental proportion, which impact would be felt beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Masari described the deceased as a prince of the world who, as a successful businessman, politician and a top-notch member of the International Press Institute (IPI), had traversed the globe promoting and advertising the very best of Nigeria.
He added that late Isa-Funtua, a Second Republic minister, was an iconic Nigerian brand, who had acquainted himself well in business, media industry, politics and philanthropy.
“There is hardly place in Nigeria where his fame has not reached,’’ Masari said.
The governor condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari, Isa-Funtua’s immediate family and business and political associates.
Masari prayed to Allah to forgive him all his sins and admit him into His paradise.
He also urged the bereaved to take consolation in the fact that Malam Isa-Funtua had lived a fulfilled life, which had impacted positively on the lives of many compatriots.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State also commiserated with Buhari, on the passing of his age-long friend and in-law, Isa-Funtua.
Okowa, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, on Tuesday in Asaba, also condoled with the family of the deceased.
Funtua, Pioneering Managing Director, Democrat Newspaper, died at the age of 78 on Monday night at an Abuja hospital after a cardiac arrest.
He described the deceased as a consummate leader, shrewd boardroom player and elder statesman.
The governor said that Funtua’s death was a huge loss to the president and the entire nation, especially at this period in our fledgling democracy.
He recalled that the deceased, who was Minister of Water Resources in the Second Republic and former President, Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), presented the Independent Newspapers, “Man of The Year, 2017’’ award to him, as Chairman of the occasion.
The governor urged Buhari and the entire Funtua family to be consoled by the legacies of integrity and capacity exhibited by the elder statesman.
He assured them of the support and prayers of his family, people and government of Delta at this trying period.
“It is with great sadness that I, my family, the government and people of Delta commiserate with Mr President, the Isa Funtua family and the people of Katsina State on the passing of a septuagenarian and elder statesman, Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua.
“His death remains a great loss not just to his family and the president, but to the entire nation given his role as a successful businessman, media patron and exceptional statesman.
“Indeed, the late Funtua was very supportive of the president and I can only imagine the grief and sorrow that has befallen him on this loss.
“Mallam Funtua will be sorely missed by newspaper publishers and all those whose lives he had touched in positive ways.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, Buhari and the entire nation that the soul of the deceased rest peacefully,” Okowa said.
He prayed God to grant the deceased’s immediate family the fortitude to bear his demise.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the death of Isa-Funtua as a rude shock and
a severe blow to the media industry in the country.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister hailed
Isa Funtua’s contribution to media development and his untiring
defence of free speech and the freedom of the press, starting from his
days as the founder of the Democrat Newspapers to his stint as the
President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
He said Isa Funtua’s passion for the media industry saw him
serving as the life patron of the NPAN and taking active interest in
matters concerning the industry until his death.
”Mallam Isa Funtua was a man of many parts, with his eventful life
highlighted by service, whether as a media icon, an entrepreneur or a
philanthropist. He also served as a government Minister and a member
of the 1994-1995 Constitutional Conference, hallmarking his
versatility,” Alhaji Mohammed said.
He extended his condolences to Mr. President, other family and friends of the
late Isa Funtua, the NPAN and indeed the entire media industry.
The Minister prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed, and
for comfort and strength to the family he left behind.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Ahmed Wase, have expressed sadness over the death of Isa-Funtua.
In separate statements issued on Tuesday in Abuja, the Speaker and his deputy described Funtua’s demise as painful.
Gbajabiamila said Funtua, who was a lifetime patron of NPAN and the International Press Institute, lived a life full of service to humanity.
He also condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari over the loss, Funtua being a long time friend of the president.
The speaker prayed that Almighty Allah would give his family, the people and Government of Katsina State the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
He also prayed for Jannatul Firdaus to be his final abode.
Wase, in a condolence message described Funtua as an entrepreneur, a business mogul of repute and distinguished status.
He said the late statesman was a great philanthropist who employed great labour as well as an astute democrat who lived an exemplary life and committed himself to the service of the nation.
The deputy speaker also condoled with the President, the governor of Katsina state, Aminu Bello Masari and the good people of the state over the loss of their illustrious son.
Former Abia State Governor and Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Kalu, has expressed sadness over the demise of Isa-Funtua.
Acknowledging the contributions of the late business mogul to the social, economic and political development of Nigeria, Kalu described the passing of Funtua as a huge loss to the country.
While commiserating with President Muhammadu Buhari, the government and people of Katsina state, the former Governor urged the Funtua family to sustain the good legacies of the deceased.
In a condolence message from the office of the Chief Whip of the Senate, Kalu extolled the virtues of the late Mallam Funtua, adding that the deceased will be remembered for his patriotism and selflessness.
He said” I received with sadness the news of the demise of prominent industrialist and Chairman of Bulet International Construction Company, Mallam Isa Funtua.
“He was a statesman, who contributed to national development in different capacities in the private and public spheres of life.
“The late industrialist lived a purposeful life and left behind remarkable legacies for his family, associates and loved ones to emulate.
“He will be greatly missed”
Kalu prayed to Allah to grant the deceased Al- Jannah Firdaus and give the Funtua family the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has commiserated with the family of Isa-Funtua.
Danbatta, alongside some staff of the Commission paid a condolence visit to the family at the residence of Funtua on Tuesday in Abuja.
He described the late Funtua “as an industrialist, a loyal and trusted ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose accomplishments have left indelible marks in critical sectors of the economy.”
According to him, “I received the passing of Alhaji Funtua with a heavy heart. He was a complete and compassionate gentleman and a true Nigerian patriot, who showed great interest in the progress of our dear country.”
“I share the grief of his immediate family, associates as well as President Buhari. We pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and that Almighty God will grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss,” he said.
Danbatta was received by Abubakar Funtua, one of the deceased’s sons during the visit.
Also, the International Press Institute (IPI) said it received with shock and profound sadness, the news of the sudden death of Isa-Funtua.
Mr Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman, IPI Nigeria in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said Funtua’s colossal influence and contributions to national development had transversed the fields of public service, business, politics and the media.
Yusuf said the icon would be most remembered as the arrowhead of Nigeria’s successful hosting of the historic 2018 IPI World Congress & General Assembly in Abuja.
“IPI mourns the departure of this patriot and international media figure. We commiserate with his family, the Government and People of Nigeria and the media community.
“We beseech the Almighty Allah to grant Malam Isma’ila Isa, Aljanah Firdaus.”
He added that Isa was a man of immense international stature and a life patron of IPI- the global network of editors, senior journalists and media executives, with a lifetime devotion to a free press.
He further said that the deceased led Nigerian delegation to IPI events outside Nigeria and as well an elected member of the IPI Executive Board and a major financier and sponsor of the Vienna- based global body.
The statement was co signed by Alhaji Wada Maida, Member, IPI Executive Board and Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin, Secretary, IPI Nigeria.
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) also mourned Isa-Funtua.
A statement by the President and Publicity Secretary, Mustapha Isah and Ken Ugbechie, reads: “It is with a deep sense of sorrow that the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, commiserates with the family of Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua, OFR, mni, whose sudden death occurred on Monday, July 20, 2020. He was 78 years old.
The Guild is deeply saddened by his demise and prays the Almighty God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss of an elder statesman, newspaper publisher, a brilliant administrator, a former minister and a feisty defender of free press.
A friend and political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Ismaila Funtua, over the decades, remained consistent like the Northern Star whose influence stretched beyond journalism to manufacturing and politics. In him, the nation will miss a forthright and bold patriot who deployed his defunct newspaper, The Democrat, to foster national unity, promote free speech and engender a culture of high ethical standard in journalism.
The Guild mourns a friend and supporter whose appearances and seminal contributions at our annual conferences helped to deepen discourses and provide a compass for the younger generation of journalists in the country.
The late Funtua was the Founder of Bulet International Nigeria Limited, one of the biggest indigenous construction companies in the country, which built most of the magnificent public buildings in Abuja.
He founded the New Africa Holdings (publishers of the defunct Democrat newspapers). He was also a former President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPAN.
Until his death, Mallam Funtua was a life patron of both NPAN and the International Press Institute, IPI.
Journalism and the nation would miss this rare patriot”.
