Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday announced that he has called off a celebration organised to celebrate his 68th birthday in honour of the victims of the bomb explosions that rocked Kano city on Friday.
No fewer than 100 people were reported to have died and over 200 injured in the bomb explosions that occurred at the Central Mosque in Kano on Friday, 28, November, 2014.
According to Premium Times report, Atiku, who clocked 68 years last Tuesday, and his friends and associates had organised a birthday celebration in honour of the presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the THISDAY dome in Abuja on Saturday.
It was however diclosed that Atiku told his associates that he was in no mood for any celebration with the triple blast at the Central Mosque in Kano.
“Because invitations have already been sent and guests have travelled from far and near, it was not possible to issue an outright cancellation,” said Paul Ibe, an official in the former vice president’s media office.
Ibe also informed that Atiku was actually a guest at the event, because it was organized by his friends and associate who invited him like any other guest.
“ His Excellency Atiku Abubakar arrived at about 8pm. He came into Abuja from Akure and he told the guests that he hardly ever celebrate his birthdays because they are always days of reflection for him.
“He however said he agreed to the celebration this year because his wife was called to the bar.
“However, as soon as he arrived and after the national anthem, he called for a minute of silence and also called on a Muslim cleric to offer prayers, followed by the Christian prayer by former Ekiti state governor, Segun Oni, for the repose of the victims of yesterday’s attack in Kano as well as similar attacks in Kontagora, Potiskum Mubi and Maiduguri in recent times,” he said.
Ibe also quoted Atiku as telling the guests that “these are not the times for celebrations”.
He said Atiku called on all the guests to be steadfast in prayers for the return of total peace to Nigeria.
He added that the APC presidential aspirant then left the venue immediately after the prayers and his short remarks.
Mr. Ibe said the celebration was planned to be “full blown” before Atiku called it off.
Some of the guests at the venue of the celebration included the National Chairman of the APC, John Oyegun, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, Senate Minority Leader, George Akume, and business mogul, Kekere Ekun.
In a related development, President Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have left a function he was scheduled to attend at the Eko Hotels in Lagos on Friday because of the bomb explosion that rocked the Central mosque in Kano.
It would be recalled that Atiku had criticized the Kano bomb blasts via a statement he released immediately the incident happened on Friday.
He said he was destroyed impersonally by the frequency and savagery of insurgents attacks on innocent people, adding that this constant violence succeed nothing.
After killing them abii???
ReplyDelete