“Hunted alive, not honoured in
death.” This phrase, perhaps, succinctly captured the story of a former Deputy
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, who died in the
early hours of Sunday, September 19, 2021.
Mailafia died at the age of 64 at
the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, after a brief illness.
His death shocked many Nigerians
who looked up to him for his audacious voice against perceived official
tardiness that has contributed to the crisis being experienced in certain
sectors of the national life, including the economy.
Many leading organisations,
including the Northern Governors Forum; Christian Association of Nigeria,
Southern Kaduna People’s Union, Arewa Consultative Forum, National Consultative
Front, amongst others, have since mourned the passing of the developmental
economist.
However, in an unusual departure
from the norm, the Presidency and the apex bank where Mailafia served as deputy
governor between May 2005 and March 2007, have kept mum.
Though the Presidency has not
issued any condolence message on the death of Mailafia five days after, it has
condoled with legendary juju singer, Sunday Adegeye aka King Sunny Ade, on the
death of his wife, Risikat Adegeye, who died on Tuesday.
The Presidency had also expressed
sadness over the death of the Emir of Gaya, Ibrahim Abdulkadir, who died on
Wednesday, September 22, a clear four days after Mailafia’s demise.
This is even as the
administration had also congratulated, on September 21, the Prime Minister of
Canada, Justin Trudeau, on his re-emergence after a hard fought snap election.
The Kaduna State Government, the
home state of the deceased economist, has also not issued any condolence
message on the demise of Mailafia; but the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom,
has described Mailafia as a true patriot, saying that his death was painful to
Nigerians, especially the people of the Middle Belt.
Efforts to reach presidential
spokesman, Femi Adesina, proved abortive, as he neither took calls to his line
nor replied to a text message sent by our correspondent on the matter.
Also, efforts to reach the
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; as well as his spokesman,
Segun Adeyemi, were unsuccessful as their lines were unreachable, while text
messages sent to their lines were not replied as of press time.
Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser
on Media and Communication to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, did not
take calls to his line and did not reply to a text message sent by The PUNCH.
Our correspondent also contacted
CBN Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, Osita Nwanisobi, but
when the matter was raised in a phone conversation on Thursday morning, he
said, “Can you please send whatever you want to my phone?”
However, he had yet to reply to a
text message sent by our correspondent on the matter.
Meanwhile, controversies have
since trailed the demise of the Kaduna State indigene as the Middle Belt Forum
alleged that he was shabbily treated by doctors at the hospital. The hospital
management had denied the allegations, saying the doctors did all they could to
save Mailafia’s life.
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