Mallam Isa Funtua Is Dead
Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua, the founding managing director of Democrat Newspaper and former President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), is dead.
He died in Abuja while undergoing a routine medical check-up. He was 78 years old.
He reportedly suffered a massive heart attack during the medical check-up.
Many persons have taken to social media to mourn the loss, including the Personal Assistant on New Media to President Buhari, Mr Bashir Ahmad.
Mr Ahmad took to his twitter handle, musing over death, using Funtua’s life as an example.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un! Just heard about Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua’s sudden death. This life! May Allah accept his soul, forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannah al-Firdaus.
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) July 20, 2020
This life is so unforeseeable! You will just be full of life and doing very fine, the next minute it will be people grieving over your demise. May Allah accept the souls of our departed beloved ones.
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) July 20, 2020
He was born in Funtua, Katsina State. He is a pioneer student of the Federal Training Centre, Kaduna.
Funtua, who was the Minister of Water Resources in the defunct Second Republic, established the Democrat Newspapers during the military era in Nigeria.
He was also trained as an administrative officer at the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria.
He was an administrator at Manchester University in the UK.
The late Funtua worked as the Katsina Native Authority as an Administrative Officer and later served in many ministries in the defunct Northern Region.
Equally, the Kastina-born entrepreneur was a Manager of the United Nigerian Textile Company, Kaduna.