The Moro’a Traditional Council of Moro’a Chiefdom in Kaduna State, said on Tuesday that the gap created as a result of the demise of ex-deputy governor of the state, late Barnabas Bala-Bantex, would be difficult to fill.“
He was a benevolent and illustrious son of the community, who stood for the downtrodden at all times,” the council said in a statement, signed by its Secretary, Mr Joseph Turman,Bala-Bantex, the immediate- past deputy governor to Gov. Nasir El-Rufai, died in Abuja on July 11, at the age of 64, after a protracted illness.In the statement, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna , the council said his death was a big loss to the Moro’a community.“Bala-Bantex’s political charisma and philanthropic predisposition, made him stood out among his peers.“He was turbaned as the ‘Jarman Moro’a’, meaning the warlord of the Moro’a people , by the Chief of Moro’a, Malam Tagwai Sambo, and the Traditional Council, due to his humility.“
His death is not only a big loss to us as a community, but to Kaduna State and Nigeria at large.“May the Lord grant the immediate family, the entire Moro’a community, the state and the nation,the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss,” the council said.Similarly, the Moro’a Development Association (MDA) described the death as a huge loss to the land.The association, in a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna, said that Bala-Bantex would be greatly missed for his contributions to the development of the chiefdom, the state, and the nation.The statement was jointly signed by its National President, Dr Jolly Laah, National Youth Leader, Mr Jerry Bonet and National Women Leader, Mrs Anne Woji.The association said that it would be difficult to outline the massive contributions of the deceased to the growth and development of the Moro’a Chiefdom.It described Bala-Bantex as a “charismatic goal-getter politician, a philanthropist, a grassroot mobilizer and a visionary leader worthy of emulation.The group noted that the deceased gave hope to the hopeless in Moro’a community through various philanthropic initiatives that improved the wellbeing of the people.“He was at the constitutional conference in 1994;
Secretary General of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, 1995 and President, MDA in 1996.“Bala-Bantex also served as the Executive Chairman of Kaura Local Government Council between 1997 and 2002 and went further to represent Kaura Federal Constituency at the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011.“
He equally served as a Deputy Governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2019.“These, among many other contributions to the development of our dear community, the state and the nation, made him a household name in every part of the state,” the Association said. (NAN)
