President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the contributions to society by the renowned urologist and politician, Dr. Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, who died today, will not be forgotten.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the President noted that Ahmed was a friend to the late Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed, and was the founder of Asmau Memorial Hospital, which was renamed Abubakar Imam Urology Centre, Kano.
In his tribute to the late doctor who was also a presidential aspirant under the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Buhari described him as a man blessed with immense wisdom.
He said, “Dr. Datti was at the forefront in providing healthcare to the poor and the needy. His divine teachings and selfless contribution towards the welfare of society will not be forgotten.
“He will be remembered for his noble service to society.”
Buhari also said the nation is with the family of the deceased, the Kano Emirate Council and the government and people of Kano State as they mourn the doctor, politician and religious leader.
Ahmed died in Kano in the early hours of Thursday after a protracted illness. He was aged 83.
He served as president-general of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN), a group that advocates Sharia law in Nigeria and represents the nation’s Muslim scholars.
The SCSN has once petitioned for fair treatment of Muslim military officers and has spoken out against prejudice and violence against Muslims.
In 2013, Ahmed turned down an appointment to serve on a committee constituted by President Goodluck Jonathan to mediate between the federal government and the terrorist group, Boko Haram, accusing the government of “lack of sincerity” in the way it was handling the insurgency in the North-east.
Ahmed left behind a wife and 10 children, and has since been buried according to Islamic rites.
