Date: 2017-09-16

A former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Mr. Sadik Ismaila, is dead. He died in the early hours of Friday during a brief illness.

Ismaila, who occupied the position between October and December 31, 1983, was elected on the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria and represented Ilorin West Constituency.

The late politician, who was 80 at the time of his demise, was buried according to Islamic rites at the Omoda area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Incumbent Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad, in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulrahman Sanni, lamented Ismaila's death, describing it as a huge loss to the people of the state and the country in general.

He said the deceased would be remembered for his principle, tenacity of purpose, humility and modest contributions to parliamentary proceedings in the country.

Ahmad enjoined Nigerians to emulate the sterling qualities of the former speaker to further strengthen the nation's parliamentary democracy.

According to him, Ismaila passed on when his wealth of experience and wisdom were greatly needed to fashion a new constitution that would further stabilise Nigeria's hard won democracy.

Ahmad consoled the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Zulu-Gambari, his immediate family and the entire people of Ilorin Emirate over the incident.

He enjoined them to take solace in the fact that the former speaker lived a life worthy of emulation.