Encomiums rain as ANA Abuja honours Mamman Vatsa at 81st posthumous birthday
Alex Enemanna, Abuja
It was a night of glitz, glamour and sober reflection on Friday as the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA Abuja chapter winded down activities for the year with 81st posthumous birthday celebration in honour of late Gen. Mamman Vatsa, a writer and Military officer.
Tagged ‘Remembering Gen. Mamman Jiya Vatsa: A Night of Literary Engagement & and Posthumous Birthday,’ the gathering was in honour of the late FCT Minister.
Guests spoke glowingly of the late Military officer for his love for humanity and for always putting the country and people at the forefront both in his writings and Military career.
Late Gen. Vatsa was executed about 35 years ago alongside nine others by the Military after trials for an alleged coup plot to overthrow former Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
At the event which coincided with the association’s annual ANAtainment, Chairman of FCT chapter of ANA, Halima Usman extolled the late Gen. Vatsa’s commitment not only for the growth and development of the country but that of ANA in which he was a committed member.
“He was a very strong member of the Association of Nigerian Authors. Some of you are aware of the Writers’ Village in Abuja housing the ANA National Secretariat, that land was donated by late Gen. Mamman Vatsa.
“That is to show you how much of love he had for the association. He has written quite a number of books even though we are finding it difficult getting copies of these books.
“That is one of the reasons we have gathered here, to remember him as a patriot. He was a committed officer and in the midst of that he wrote a lot of poems which are meaningful in addressing issues in the country and challenges in the society.
“We are doing this in honour of our heroes past and he perfectly represents one, not just as a soldier but a writer. Apart from the land he donated, he did a lot in raising young authors, grooming children in education. We believe such individual should not be forgotten” she remarked.
A brother to Gen. Vatsa, and former Commissioner for Information and Culture in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa expressed gratitude to ANA Abuja for not forgetting the late Military officer 35 years after his death.
He applauded the late Vatsa’s contributions in building a legacy in his community through education which outlived him.
Mr. Vatsa also noted that late Gen. Mamman Vatsa so much believed in the country Nigeria and fought for its survival.
“He so much believed in this country, he died for this country because he believed in it. That is our stand for him. Very honest, very dedicated in his duty, you cannot fault him in his assignments.
“If you give him a task as a Military officer, he brings to bear his hard work, his honesty which he died for and we will continue to walk on that path.
“Today, it’s Gen. Vatsa, tomorrow it could be one of us. We believe and we have consoled ourselves that no man lives forever. I am happy that we are remembering him for good. We must ask ourselves what is it that we will be remembered for?
“We will either be remembered for what we built or what we destroyed. We must take a cue from Mamman Vatsa who did not live only for himself but left a legacy behind for which we have assembled here today,” he said.
According to Mr. Vatsa, despite being a Muslim, late Gen. Mamman Vatsa favoured more Christians in his community, urging all Nigerians to shun religious intolerance and ethnic supremacy.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communication, Mr. Bitrus Bako Nabasu described the late Gen. Vatsa as a fine officer with an impeccable character.
He applauded late Vatsa for leaving a legacy of love for humanity, true, patriotism and sacrifice.
The Permanent Secretary noted that despite being a former Minister of FCT, the late Gen. Vatsa did not use his office to accumulate choice property for himself or members of his family, urging officials of government and top civil servants to eschew greed and draw a lesson from the late Niger born Military General.
