President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday described the late pioneer chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Solomon Lar as a bridge builder and an emancipator of the oppressed.
Jonathan, alongside other politicians yesterday bid farewell to the Governor of Plateau State who passed on few weeks back.
During a commendation service held at the National Christian Centre in Abuja, Jonathan, in a tribute read on his behalf by Senate President, David Mark, described Lar as a Nigerian who was “generous to a fault and as you will all recall, he continued to be a benefactor to so many Nigerians as he was paying school fees for so many people. He was looking after so many widows and he didn’t care what religion you belonged to.
“His legacies are going to be difficult for us to follow and emulate. But he taught us some lessons: first, that once you are blessed by God, you must extend that blessing and favour to other human beings and not to be selfish about things that come from God.
“The second and perhaps, the most important of all is that Nigeria must remain a united country. Lar was called an emancipator with his white handkerchief not because he wanted a particular section of this country to dominate the others but because he wanted every Nigerian to feel that he had equal opportunity to walk freely as a Nigerian and be respected as a Nigerian.”
Also, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur, in his tribute said, “Today is a testimony that Lar was a true Nigerian, a true African, an emancipator of the oppressed. We are very happy and Lar is giving us an understanding of why we should continue to regenerate and lead our party to unity.
“The PDP needs to be united and strong for us to continue to have a strong government for a strong economy.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said, “Lar was like a father to me, he was generous. I am certainly short of words for this politician par excellence. The nation has lost a pillar of support; certainly, he has gone to rest in the bosom of the Lord.”
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