President Muhammadu Buhari has described the former Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Amb. Ibrahim Yerima Abdullahi, as “one of our greatest, selfless, dedicated and patriotic public officials I have known.”
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said the President stated this in a warm tribute he wrote on the elder statesman, who is celebrating his 80th birthday.
According to him, Yerima, who is also the bearing then traditional title of ‘Sarkin Bai of Gombe’, is an outstanding gentleman who is fired by the passion to serve his country selflessly.
President Buhari noted that “in a society battling greed, selfless and dedicated public officials like Yerima are rare because they put good name before personal advantages.”
The President praised the Sarkin Bai as “a man of shining virtues who belongs to the golden age of our public service”,
“I am proud of his unblemished record in public life.
“As an APC elder who contributed immensely to the successes of the party in elections, Yerima is a quality party leader whose achievements, as well as his integrity, we will continue to cherish,” he said.
He prayed God to continue ”to bless the Sarkin Bai with good health and longer life to serve Nigeria and his people even more”.
Abdullahi served as Minister of Education during the tenure of Buhari as the military Head of State in 1984. (NAN)
