The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of the lawmaker formerly representing Kwara South Senatorial District, Dr. Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim.
His passing, following a brief illness, was announced in a family statement on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
In a condolence message to the Kwara State Government, the people of Kwara South Senatorial District, and the Ojoku Community in Oyun local government area, the minister expressed his sadness at the news of the death of an esteemed son of Kwara and former colleague with whom he had a positive and productive working relationship.
He recalled that he and the late Ibrahim were new senators in the Eighth National Assembly from 2015 to 2019. During this time, Rafiu served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance & Other Financial Institutions, and was a member of the Media and Public Affairs Committee under the chairmanship of Abdullahi.
In a personally signed statement, Abdullahi described the late lawmaker as “a friend, brother, confidant and reliable sounding board” with whom he “shared common views on the welfare of citizens and progress of the nation”. He noted that the late Rafiu was an embodiment of passion, selflessness and hard work, as well as a truly distinguished gentleman whose persona radiated confidence and a ready willingness to cooperate in achieving the common good.
Abdullahi also fondly recalled that the late Rafiu stood in solidarity at the launch of a constituency project in his (Abduallhi’s) Niger North Senatorial District and willingly stood in for the Senate President when the chairman of the National Assembly could not arrive early enough due to weather constraints.
The minister prayed for Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the late Rafiu and to grant his soul al-Jannah firdaus. He urged members of the family of the deceased to find solace in the remarkable accomplishments of the late senator who passed away at the age of 57.
In a related development, Abdullahi expressed condolences to his former colleague in the 9th Senate, Sen. Sadiq Suleiman Umar whose father – Alhaji Suleiman Mora Omar, the Makama of Kaiama Emirate in Kwara State – passed on. According to Sen. Sabi Abdullahi, his common Borgu lineage with Sen. Sadiq means that the transition of the Makama is a loss to the larger Borgu Clan.
While praying for the repose of the soul of the late royal, the minister noted that his legacy of exemplary service of the late Makama as an administrator and traditional ruler should be source of comfort to the family.
