By Tina George, Minna
A veteran journalists and correspondent of The Guardian newspaper in Niger state, Akin Alofetekun has died.
Alofetekun died in Minna at the age of 64 on Tuesday, after a brief illness.
The state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, former governor of Niger state, Dr Babangida Aliyu, the state Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, and the NUJ Correspondent Chapel, have all commiserated with the family of the deceased journalist.
In his condolence message to the family and NUJ, Sani Bello said that the counsel and wealth of knowledge of the deceased would be missed in the state.
He described late Alofetekun as a seasoned and professional journalist who has made his mark in journalism.
“He was a professional to the core, an intellectual and a peace-loving elder. We’ll surely be missing his wise counsel and wealth of knowledge even as we are consoled that he lived a good life by impacting positively on his younger professional colleagues and the society through his journalistic writings”, Bello said.
He prayed to God to grant the soul of late Alofetekun eternal rest and give the NUJ fraternity, his immediate family members, friends and associates the fortitude to bear the great loss.
The Correspondent Chapel in its condolence message, stated that the veteran’s death has created a vacuum that is difficult to fill in the chapel.
The condolence message signed by the chairman, Mustapha Bina and the secretary, Daniel Atori said that the mentoring and priceless advice of the deceased will be missed.
“We will miss the Sexagenarian invaluable contributions to journalism in the Chapel, his usual mentoring and advice to the younger ones. We mourn his death with the consolation that he lived a fulfilled life, and as a vibrant and active member, his legacies still remain in our hearts.
“He was a very straight forward, dedicated, fearless and a focused individual who would say things the way they are. He was known for hard work, good advice, to proffer solutions and mentorship.”
In his condolence message, Dr Aliyu described the late Alofetekun as as one of the leading figures in journalism practice in the state.
He tasked members of the Union not to be dampened by the exit of one of their own.
He urged them to remain committed to the journalism practice as the conscience, eyes and ears of the country saying that that would be the only way to keep the legacies of Alofetekun alive.
Aliyu prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased and also prayed to God to grant his family the courage to bear the loss and to comfort them over the painful loss.
The state council of NUJ said that the deceased lived a fulfilled life and made council robust and vibrant with a journalistic style that is unique to a thorough bred professional.
The chairman, Abdu Idris and secretary, Abu Nmodu stated that the late Alofetekun’s demise came at a time when his contributions were most needed in the Council.
“We will miss his invaluable contributions to journalism in the state and usual mentoring of the younger ones”, the statement read.
The late Alofetekun was survived by a wife and four children.
