NASS changes WhatsApp Forum display picture with Na’Abba
By Emma Ogbuehi
As Nigerians mourn the death of Ghali Umar Na’Abba, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, federal lawmakers, past and present, have changed the display picture (DP) on their WhatsApp Forum with the fallen legislator’s picture.
TheNiche had earlier reported that Na’Abba, who represented Kano Municipal Federal Constituency of Kano State in 1999, died in Abuja in the early hours of Wednesday.
As a mark of honour, his former colleagues changed the profile picture in their social media handle – WhatsApp – called NASS LEGISLATORS FORUM, with Na’Abba’s picture.
Before now, the display picture was the National Assembly logo.
Explaining why they took the decision, one of Na’Abba’s colleagues in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003, who pleaded anonymity said he will go down in history as one of the greatest parliamentarians of the Fourth Republic.
“He was an astute parliamentarian. As a Speaker, he was one of the finest. He would easily pass as one of the biggest revelations of the National Assembly since 1999. His death has robbed Nigeria of a genuine leader who believed in the people and worked for common good.”
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A brother to the deceased, Ahmed Umar Na’Abba said the former Speaker died in the early hours of Wednesday at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Ahmed said: “He died around 3 a.m. in the wee hours of Wednesday at the National Hospital, Abuja.
“We are currently making arrangements for transportation of the corpse to Kano for burial,” Ahmed said.
Late Ghali Na’Abba is survived by a wife and 10 children (eight females and two males).
Recall that sometime in 2020, it was rumoured that Na’Abba was dead. But the news was fake.
Late Na’Abba joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and won the Kano Municipal Federal Constituency seat in the April 1999 general elections.
Subsequently, he emerged Speaker of the House of Representatives after the political crisis that unseated the first Speaker of the Fourth Republic, Salisu Buhari.
He was born into the family of Alhaji Umar Na’Abba, a businessman in Tudun Wada, Kano City, Kano Municipal Local Government on 27 September 1958.
He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied political science and graduated in 1979.