Emir Of Zazzau Loses Elder Brother

The Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji (Dr.) Shehu Idris, has lost his elder brother, the Dan-Galadima Zazzau and district head of Rigasa in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State, Alhaji Umar Idris. A prince of the Zazzau emirate and a national awardee of the Order of the Niger (OON), Alhaji Idris died on Friday night after a protracted illness at the age of 78.
Alhaji Idris, a director of sports in the defunct North-Central State, had been sick for over five years which led to a stroke that kept him indoors until his death. He retired from the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) as a comptroller.
The late Idris was a bridge builder across Nigeria; among his contemporaries were the late Mallam Isa Kaita, the first minister of education in the Northern Region; Alhaji Nuhu Bamali, and the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
Alhaji Idris will be remembered for his fatherly counsel and intervention during the various crises that rocked Kaduna State.
Although he was not fully active in Rigasa due to his ill-health, his counsel and orders were carried out by his lieutenants who managed his office in Rigasa.
The late Idris contested the seat of the Emir of Zazzau with his younger brother, the incumbent emir. He would also be remembered for his loyalty and dedication to the Zazzau emirate.
The late Umar is survived by three wives, 16 children and many grandchildren, among them the special adviser to the governor of Kaduna State on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He has since been buried according to Islamic rites.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP Sunday, the son of the late district head, Alhaji Muhammad Bello Umar, described his father’s death as the will of Allah.
He said, “His death is shocking and a great loss not only to the members of the family but the country.”
Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo and Kaduna State governor Alhaji Muhktar Ramalan Yero, who visited the family, enjoined them to accept Allah’s wish, saying their father lived a fulfilled life.