Activities marking the funeral rites of the late Chairman of LEADERSHIP Group Limited, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, has been slightly modified in line with federal government’s imposition of five-week restrictions on activities involving large gathering.
The federal government had on Monday imposed the restrictions to contain the spike in the second wave of COVID-19 in the country.
A statement by the Nda-Isaiah family signed by Mr Abraham Nda-Isaiah on Tuesday noted that while activities for the burial will commence tomorrow, Wednesday, December 23,2020 as planned, the Service of Songs earlier scheduled to hold at the International Conference Centre on Sunday 27, December 2020, will now be a virtual event.
According to the statement, save for the change in the mode of conducting the Service of Songs, all other arrangements remains as planned.
While regretting any inconvenience the slight adjustment may have caused friends, associates and other dignitaries who might have factored the Service of Songs into their tight schedules, the Nda-Isaiah family reiterated that the change was in compliance with the new restrictions imposed by the federal government.
Noting that all other arrangement remains the same, the statement further said that starting from noon tomorrow (Wednesday), there will be virtual tributes and dignitaries expected to participate include former heads of state, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
It noted that 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, spokesperson of the Nupe people, among several other traditional titles.
The Late Sam Nda-Isaiah, 58, who died on Friday, December 11, after a brief illness will be interred on Monday, December 28, 2020 at the Gudu Cemetery, Abuja at 10am in an invitation-only ceremony.
Sam Nda-Isaiah was a pharmacist, entrepreneur, media mogul and an astute politician whose passing has drawn an outpouring of grief across the country and abroad.
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 he contested for the presidential ticket in 2014.
The media mogul is survived by his aged mother, wife, children and siblings.
