Musa Musawa, a veteran Katsina politician and father of Hannatu — the Deputy Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council — has died at the age of 85. The elder statesman, revered as a grassroots leader in Katsina, succumbed on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. Musawa first became a household name in the state through his early work as a broadcaster and diplomat before turning to politics.
In an exclusive interview with The about a month ago, his daughter Hannatu described him as an astute politician who shared the ideology of her godfather, the late Aminu Kano. “Everyone knows my dad belongs to the school of thought of Aminu Kano, especially with the way he thinks. He was part of the Northern Elements Progressive Union back then in Kano. Maybe I should also say that Aminu Kano was my godfather,” she said. Hannatu recalled growing up watching her father act as a radical politician and noted his support for feminism: “Even though we are from Katsina State, which is a conservative part of the country, it was always a matter of a woman can do whatever a man can do if given the opportunity.” She also mentioned his foreign service career, which took the family abroad: “He was posted to different parts of the world. For stability, he took us to the United Kingdom when I was five, and that’s how my siblings and I went to school there.”
Reacting to Musawa’s death, President‑elect Bola Tinubu paid a glowing tribute to his contributions to the defunct Northern Elements Progressive Union and its fight for independence and the liberation of the Nigerian people. In a statement issued Wednesday morning by his media office, Tinubu described Musawa as a patriot who had paid his dues, especially at the grassroots level. “He was a truly progressive and broad‑minded statesman. As a young man, he joined forces with like‑minded comrades in the defunct Northern Elements Progressive Union to fight for independence and total liberation of our people. In the years since independence, Alhaji Musa Musawa continued to ally with progressive movements in and outside the realm of politics to advance the cause of the poor and oppressed in society. He was a progressive politician who paid his dues as a dedicated patriot. Nigeria has lost an illustrious son, and we will miss his fatherly counsel at a time we need it most.”
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