YOLA, Nigeria – Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), prominent industrialist, and Second Republic governor of the old Gongola State, Alhaji Bamanga Muhammad Tukur, CON, was laid to rest in Yola on Sunday, September 13, 2026, amid an outpouring of national tributes, state officials confirmed in Adamawa State.
The funeral prayers (Janazah), conducted at the Palace of the Lamido of Adamawa in the heart of Yola, brought together a distinguished gathering of national political leaders, captains of industry, and citizens who converged to pay their final respects to the late elder statesman, who died in Abuja on Saturday at the age of 90.
Okay News reports that Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, CON, attended the solemn prayer service alongside Africa’s foremost industrialist and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho.
The remains had arrived at the Yola International Airport late Saturday night from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, where Governor Fintiri, accompanied by the deceased’s son, Barrister Awwal Tukur, and close family members, received the casket before escorting it to Tukur Lodge for family supplications ahead of the Sunday morning service.
Speaking after the conclusion of the funeral rites and interment, Governor Fintiri paid tribute to the late Tafidan Adamawa, praising his lifetime of service that transformed the political and developmental landscape of both the defunct Gongola State and modern Adamawa State.
“Today, alongside Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Abubakar Dantsoho, dignitaries, and citizens from across Nigeria, I joined the funeral prayers for our late elder statesman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, at the Lamido’s Palace in Yola,” Governor Fintiri stated. “Tafida Adamawa leaves behind a tremendous legacy of leadership in Gongola and Adamawa States. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannatul Firdaus. My prayers remain with his family and loved ones.”
The presence of NPA Managing Director Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho underscored Tukur’s enduring legacy in the maritime sector, where he served as General Manager and Chief Executive between 1975 and 1982, overseeing the decongestion of national seaports and the construction of the Tin Can Island Port and modern terminals in Warri and Calabar.
Tukur, whose passing occurred just three days prior to what would have been his 91st birthday on September 15, was subsequently elected civilian Governor of the old Gongola State in 1983 on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), before serving as Federal Minister of Industries from 1993 to 1995 under the military administration of General Sani Abacha.
A consummate Pan-African business diplomat, he led continental economic advocacy as Executive President of the African Business Roundtable (ABR) and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group, later assuming the national chairmanship of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party between March 2012 and January 2014.
Following the palace prayers, the mortal remains of the revered patriarch were conveyed to his final resting place and interred in accordance with Islamic traditions, concluding a historic chapter in Nigeria’s public administration and industrial enterprise.
