Today, with teary eyes and hearts that are broken but with gazes firmly fixed on Almighty Allah’s mercy, we bade farewell to Engr. Adam Manu Girgir – my smart and loyal and trusted special assistant, Umar Mustapha, a close friend of his, and Asmau Nasidi Gaidam all of whom we sadly lost in a car accident on the Damaturu-Maiduguri Highway yesterday.
Taking solace in the fact that “we are all from Allah and to Him is our final return”, I extend my heartfelt condolences and those of my wives and children to the families of the three young souls who departed from us.
Adam, Umar, and Asmau would be sorely missed not just by their families and friends but by everyone with whom they had contact. They were young, kind, humble, and beautiful souls for whom many had fond and sweet memories.
For me, the loss of Adam Manu Girgir is a deeply personal one. Over the course of many years, Adam, as a brother, has become a confidant and a trusted friend despite the age difference between the two of us.
His kindness, humility, and generosity but also his style and energy and work ethic – these are traits that have always stood him apart and that I can testify to. They are the values that have shaped his life. They defined, to the very end, his engagement and interaction with others.
And these were the traits that people talked about as throngs gathered for his funeral at the Yobe Mosque and Islamic Centre and during and after the short drive to that final resting place at Gwange Cemetery in Damaturu Metropolis.
There is a lot about Adam that words simply can’t convey. But I have truly lost a kind aide and a pillar of support.
Adam, Umar, and Asmau died on a Friday in a fire outbreak following their accident. May Almighty Allah (SWT) repose their souls and grant them that coveted status of martyrs.
I also beseech Almighty Allah to give their families – and all of us – the fortitude to bear the loss.
Bego is Yobe State’s Commissioner for Information, Home Affairs and Culture
