Activities marking the burial of the Chairman of LEADERSHIP Group, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, will start on Wednesday. Nda-Isaiah (58) died on Friday, December 11, after taking ill briefly.
His brother, Mr. Abraham Nda-Isaiah, said in a statement that dignitaries expected to participate in the events, which would commence by noon on Wednesday with virtual tributes, included former heads of state, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The foremost traditional ruler in Niger State, Etsu Nupe, Dr. Yahaya Abubakar, is also expected to participate in the events. Nda-Isaiah held the traditional title of Kakaki Nupe, the spokesperson for the Nupe people, among several other traditional titles.
There were also strong indications yesterday that the Presidency and Niger State would send strong delegations to the events. The Service of Songs, according to Abraham, will hold on Sunday, December 27, 2020 at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, at 3pm.
“He will be interred on Monday, December 28, 2020 at the Gudu Cemetery, Abuja, at 10am in what would be an invitation-only ceremony,” Abraham said.
Sam Nda-Isaiah was a pharmacist, entrepreneur, media mogul and an astute politician. His passing has drawn an outpouring of grief across the country and abroad. A statement from his family announcing the death penultimate Friday had said Nda- Isaiah “was a family man, serial entrepreneur and visioner, p a s s ionat e politician, and above all, a man of faith”.
Although he trained as a pharmacist, “Sam,” as he was fondly called, adopted journalism as his profession and earned a mark for himself having founded the LEADERSHIP Newspaper titles, National Economy and AYAU, the first daily Hausa newspaper.
He was also a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a political platform on which he contested for the presidential ticket in 2014. The media mogul is survived by his aged mother, wife, children and siblings.