Ifeoma Ononye 
No parent has been able to describe the pain of losing a child. Many who have lost their children say its an experience you don’t wish on anyone, it’s something that leaves a deep void in the heart which time cannot fill. It has been described as a pain the parent bears like a scar for the rest of their lives. This is why it will not be easy to understand what Former Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, will be feeling at the death of her son Every parent’s biggest dream have always been to see their children grow and become parents too.
They wish to be buried by their children, not the other way round. Death of a child is very painful, especially when they have grown to a stage when they are supposed to to take care of their parents at old age. On Monday, October 7, it was in the news that Richard Adamu Tallen, the son of Nigeria’s former Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, is dead. According to news on Monday, Richard, the only son, of the minister, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Cedar Crest Hospital in Abuja on Friday evening for treatment of an undisclosed illness and was receiving oxygen support before his passing. Since the news broke, condolence messages have been sent out to the former minister. Former President Muhammadu Buhari also sent 10 members of his former cabinet with a message of condolence to the former Minister off Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Paulin Tallen following the death of her son, Richard Adamu Tallen. In the message delivered on Wednesday by the former Minister of information and national orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ex-president, described the deceased as “a gem and a rising star. He has passed away, and it is very saddening.” The for mer President, according to a release issued on Thursday by his spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, urged the grieving mother and family to take solace and comfor t in the outpouring of love and respec t from all who admired the late Richard.
The delegation, led by Lai Mohammed included former Ministers of Power, Abubakar Aliyu; Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi; Power (State), Jedy Agba; Niger Delta, Umana Umana and Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo. Others were the Ministers of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare; Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Transportation, Muazu Jaji and Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu. Prayers were said for the repose of the soul of the deceased. Pauline Tallen OFR was born 8 January 1959. She is a Nigerian politician who served as the Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development from 2019 to 2023. She was appointed in 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari after turning down an ambassadorial nomination in 2015 on the grounds that she was not consulted prior to the announcement of the appointment and that she would not accept the offer for equal distribution of power among the three senatorial districts of her native state of plateau because she is from same local government as Governor Simon Lalong.
