Bamanga Tukur: Nigeria has lost a patriot, global star — VP Shettima

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has expressed deep sadness over the passing of former Governor of old Gongola State and prominent Nigerian businessman, Alhaji Bamanga Muhammad Tukur, the Tafidan Adamawa.

He described the death of the elder statesman and former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who passed away on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the age of 90, as a huge loss to Nigeria, saying he was a true patriot, a global citizen and an institution in his own right.

In a condolence message on Sunday, the Vice President said Bamanga Tukur’s demise was not just a loss to Adamawa State or the Fombina Emirate, but a monumental loss to Nigeria and the African continent.

“I am deeply grieved by the passing of our father, mentor and one of Nigeria’s greatest institution-builders, Alhaji Dr. Bamanga Muhammad Tukur, CON, the Tafidan Adamawa, who returned to his Creator today, September 12, 2026, at the age of 90, just three days shy of his 91st birthday.

“Alhaji Bamanga Tukur lived a life of impact in three distinct but interlinked worlds — as a technocrat who built Nigeria’s modern maritime infrastructure, as a statesman and politician who governed with vision, and as a pan-African business leader who put Africa’s private sector on the world map,” he stated.

Paying tribute to his service to the nation, Senator Shettima said, “Nigerians of my generation will never forget that in 1975, when Nigerian ports were gridlocked by the infamous cement armada, a young, brilliant Bamanga Tukur was called to lead the Nigerian Ports Authority. He did not just clear the congestion; he built for the future.”

He recalled that, as General Manager and Chief Executive of the NPA from 1975 to 1982, Bamanga Tukur conceived and delivered the Tin Can Island Port Complex, modernised Apapa, Warri, Calabar, Sapele and Onne ports, and expanded the nation’s cargo-handling capacity.

“That singular intervention saved the Nigerian economy from collapse and created the gateway that still powers our trade today. In doing so, he became the first African Vice President and later a global icon in the International Association of Ports and Harbours in Tokyo, flying Nigeria’s flag high at a time when few Africans had such an opportunity,” VP Shettima added.

On his political career, the Vice President recalled that although his tenure as Governor of the old Gongola State, comprising present-day Adamawa and Taraba states, was cut short by the military intervention of December 1983, “Bamanga Tukur’s vision for rural development and education left an enduring mark.

“He later served as Minister for Industries under the Abacha administration and came full circle between 2012 and 2014 as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party at a most turbulent time. Even his fiercest political opponents attest that Tukur was a man of consensus, a man who chose the stability of the party over his own comfort when he voluntarily resigned in January 2014,” he said.

He also recalled Tukur’s continental role, saying, “Beyond Nigeria, Baba Tukur was Africa’s pride. As founder and Executive President of the African Business Roundtable and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group, he was one of the earliest voices to argue that Africa must trade with itself and that African businesses must drive African development. The ideas he championed are what have now blossomed into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“He was a true global citizen — an Adamawa son who sat on the Ghana Investors Advisory Council, advised the President of Benin Republic, and was honoured by Côte d’Ivoire and Togo for his continental service,” VP Shettima stated.

The Vice President extended his condolences to the family of the deceased, the Adamawa State Government and the people of the state, assuring them that Nigeria would never forget Bamanga Tukur.

He prayed that Almighty Allah, in His infinite mercy, would forgive his shortcomings, overlook his transgressions, grant his gentle soul Aljannatul Firdaus, and give the family the fortitude to bear the great loss.