Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on Friday announced the renaming of his administration’s most showcased estate after his late Deputy Governor, Zannah Umar Mustapha who died in his sleep 20 days ago in Yola capital of Adamawa State.
Shettima said the estate, formerly called Legacy Gardens, consisting of 50 blocks of two-story luxury buildings, each having six numbers of three bedroom elegant apartments totaling about 300 flats in two phases, conspicuously located along the airport road in Maiduguri will now be called Zannah Umar Mustapha Legacy Gardens. The Governor directed the Secretary to the Borno State Government, Alhaji Usman Jidda Shuwa to supervise the immediate renaming of all sign posts containing the old name around the estate.
Governor Shettima announced the renaming the Government House in Maiduguri while responding to two delegations from the National Library Board and Abuja chapter of Biu Forum, which were joined for a condolence session. The late Deputy Governor was one time chairman of the National Library Board under whose tenure the ongoing building of the National Library around the central area in Abuja was began some years ago. The late Deputy Governor was also a founding and devoted member of the Biu Forum as he hailed from Biu local government area of southern Borno State.
Shettima said his choice of renaming the Legacy Gardens after the late Deputy Governor was for two reasons. First, he recalled, that the Deputy Governor was chairman of the committee that built the project with so much commitment, passion and prudent use of resources. Shettima said the Deputy Governor virtually relocated to the site of the project at some point without neglecting other duties assigned to him. The Governor said his late Deputy was so passionate about the project so much that it was the first thing he visited in the day and the last he saw. Shettima also said the gardens which is undoubtedly the most elegant housing project ever carried out by any Government in Borno State was the most befitting of the late Deputy Governor’s outstanding legacies which must be remembered.
“Zannah Umar Mustapha cannot be replaced but the least we can do is to sustain his legacies and one step towards that is the renaming of that very wonderful gardens he supervised from scratch after his name, he deserves far more than that” Shettima noted.
Earlier, the National Librarian and chief executive of the National Library of Nigeria, Malam Habib Abba Jato who led a delegation for condolence, described the late Mustapha as a highly committed and patriotic Nigerian who was so passionate about progress. He recalled that as chairman, Board of the National Library, the late Deputy Governor displayed extreme dedication to work and was nothing short of a bulldozer.
In his tribute during condolence, Engineer Ibrahim Usman, chairman of Biu Forum, a social organization set up to advance the interest of sons and daughters of Biu, thanked Governor Kashim Shettima for what he called ‘a very touchy and comforting tribute authored by the Governor and published in the media in honour of their brother and son of Biu. The forum, he said, appreciated the manner in which Governor Shettima worked closely with the late Governor, according him lots of respect which made him to function very effectively and efficiently during his life time as Deputy Governor of Borno State. The forum prayed for God to console the family of the late Deputy Governor and the good people of Borno State.
Leaders of delegations from the National Library and Biu Forum took turns to present letters of condolence to Governor Kashim Shettima.
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