The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has expressed profound shock and sadness over the death of President Muhammadu Buhari’s erstwhile Chief Press Secretary and the Board Chairman of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Wada Maida.
He was Buhari’s Chief Press Secretary when he became the military Head of State following a bloodless coup of December 31, 1993 which sacked President Shehu Shagari’s democratically elected government.
Persecondnews recalls that Maida, who hailed from Katsina State, was seconded to NAN by Buhari as Editor-in-Chief and served for eight years and few years later, he became the agency’s first Managing Director, taking over from Dr Nwaibu Ngbemena, whose designation was General Manager before the agency’s upgrade as a Grade “A’’ parastatal agency.
Aged 70 years, Maida, a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of NAN at various times, died in Abuja on Monday, according to Malam Lawal Sale Maida, a member of his family.
He was one of the pioneer editors of the agency and served at various times as its Regional Editor in Kaduna, Political Editor and London Correspondent.
In a condolence message, the Minister sympathized with the family, staff, management and Board of the agency over Maida’s passing.
“Wada ss a great journalist, a good administrator and successful publisher who contributed immensely to the growth and development of the Nigerian media,’’ Mohammed said in a statement by Mr Segun Adeyemi, the Special Assistant to the President on Media, Office of the Minister of Information and Culture and emailed to Persecondnews.
Adeyemi, a former Western Europe correspondent of NAN in New York, had served as Wada’s Special Assistant as MD.
The minister said: “He will always be remembered for his service to the nation in many capacities.
”My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this moment of sadness. May God forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest.’’
Earlier, grief-stricken NAN Acting Managing Director, Mr Dele Ojo, had announced Maida’s death, describing it as shocking and devastating.
“It is difficult to believe this news. It is very devastating. God knows best.”
Ojo recalled his contributions to NAN in various capacities, getting the executive position of MD in 1994 and bowed out in 2003.
He was appointed NAN Board chair in 2016 by Buhari and was until his death, a member of the Executive Board of the International Press Institute and also a shareholder of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Abuja-based Daily Trust.
Meanwhile, Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State has expressed shock over the death of Maida, a renowned journalist, describing him as a close friend and an associate.
“Nigeria has lost one of its finest citizens who distinguished himself as an accomplished journalist, newspaper proprietor and administrator par excellence,’’ he said in a statement by his Director-General on Media, Alhaji Abdu Labaran on Tuesday.
He said Katsina State had lost one of its most illustrious sons, who served not only the state, but Nigeria meritoriously in various capacities, including as spokesman of the current President Muhammadu Buhari, when he was the Military Head of State in 1984.
He condoled with President Buhari, the immediate family of the deceased, his friends and associates and prayed to the Almighty Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant him paradise as well as give the family the courage and fortitude to bear the great loss.
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