Mohammed Munirat Nasir, now resting in his grave, will remain in my heart, body and soul for a long time to come. And his death even though came to me via a news item on the Facebook was a rude shock to me.
I have not reconciled myself with this death as it happened so suddenly and my inability to reach out to his beloved wife has delayed my tribute to this brother of mine in Islam who would endeavour to send messages of good will every Friday since I moved base from Kaduna to ply my trade in Abuja.
It is in late Nasir I found an absolute friendship with abiding faith in me and I will eternally be grateful to this gentleman whose disability has not made him a liability to anyone because his brain power has taken him higher than the average Professional journalist.
After his Journalism training at Kaduna Polytechnic and a stint with a newspaper set up by Mr. Shaka Aliyu, he approached late Alhaji Adamu Yusuf of Hausa Section of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) then for help to secure him job with the New Nigerian Newspapers Limited.
The ace broadcast journalist did it for him and he started work, submitting fantastic stories. Impressed with him, the management considered him worthy to represent NNN in Zamfara as a correspondent and there he had been doing what he knew how to do best with the pen until the last day.
I was a little surprised when I read a news item about the incumbent governor, Dr. Bello Matawallen Maradun, mourning the demise of this humble journalist from a humble background but well focused on the profession.
To me, this is a great honour done to the death of my brother whose middle name coincides with that of my eldest daughter.
I fervently appeal to the Zamfara State governor through his Special Adviser on Public Communication, Alhaji Zailani Baffa (a veteran journalist from NNN) to do something for the family of the deceased so as to cushion the effect of the current economic hardship and possibly look into granting the kids scholarship to read to whatever level in life.
I also hereby express my heart felt condolences to his nurse wife who has stood by him through thick and thin. She is one out of a million and may Allah strengthen her resolve during this period of mourning her husband and responsible father of her kids. Adieu, Nasir and I pray that Allah grants your soul a repose in Jannah.
